A HOODIE

Living with a secret was turning Maya into a full-time actress. For the past week, every interaction between Anya and Sameer had become a high-stakes drama she watched from the front row. Anya would sigh dreamily after Sameer explained a complex algorithm, and Maya would have to bite her tongue to keep from yelling, "That's the same guy who called your coding style 'predictable'!" It was exhausting and endlessly entertaining.

Their project had now reached a critical phase. Professor verma, impressed with their progress, had granted them after-hours access to the university's main server room to run a series of demanding simulations. It was a huge vote of confidence, but it meant long, late nights in the coldest room on campus.

The server room was Sameer’s natural habitat. The rhythmic hum of the fans and the cool, sterile air seemed to help him focus. For Anya, it was like working in a refrigerator. The powerful air conditioning, necessary to keep the massive machines from overheating, was relentless.

On their third late evening in a row, the cold finally started to get to her. She was huddled over her keyboard, trying to debug a section of their code, but a persistent shiver kept running through her. She subtly wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing her shoulders to try and generate some warmth, hoping Sameer wouldn't notice.

He was in his own world, his eyes fixed on a monitor displaying lines of rapidly scrolling data. To an outsider, he would have seemed completely oblivious. But Maya, who had just arrived with a peace offering of lukewarm vending machine coffee, saw the moment he noticed. His typing paused for a fraction of a second. His gaze flickered from the screen to Anya, then back. He saw the goosebumps on her arms and the way she was trying to make herself smaller to stay warm.

For a moment, he did nothing. Then, with a quiet sigh, he stood up. Anya looked over, startled, as he walked towards her. She expected him to point out another flaw in her code or suggest a new approach.

Instead, without a word, Sameer pulled off the soft, grey hoodie he was wearing, leaving him in just a t-shirt. He leaned over her chair and gently draped it over her shoulders.

The warmth was immediate. The fabric was soft and smelled faintly of laundry detergent and something uniquely him. Anya froze, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. The gesture was so simple, so unexpected, that it left her speechless. She looked up at him, her eyes wide.

He just gave a small, almost imperceptible nod and went back to his station, his focus returning to the screen as if nothing had happened. But the space between them felt completely different. It was charged with a quiet, unspoken kindness.

Anya pulled the hoodie tighter around herself, her heart doing a weird little flip in her chest. It was the nicest thing anyone had done for her all week.

From the doorway, Maya watched the entire exchange, a coffee cup halfway to her lips. She saw the gentle way he placed the hoodie on Anya’s shoulders and the stunned, happy look on Anya's face. Her brain short-circuited. Anya was literally wrapped in Zero's hoodie. Her crushee was her nemesis, and he was giving her his clothes to keep her warm while she was probably, at that very moment, thinking of new ways to destroy him online.

The dramatic irony was so thick she could barely breathe. She had to physically restrain herself from laughing out loud.

Maya: (clearing her throat loudly) "Special delivery. I bring the gift of caffeine."

Anya jumped, startled. She looked up at Maya, a blush creeping up her neck as she instinctively clutched the hoodie.

Anya: "Oh! Hey. Thanks, Maya."

Maya handed them the coffees, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she looked at Anya swimming in Sameer's hoodie.

Maya: "Looks like you're staying warm."

Anya: (quietly) "Yeah. Sameer was just being nice."

Maya glanced at Sameer, who was pretending to be deeply absorbed in his work, though she could see the tips of his ears were red. This was better than television. So much better.