Behind Every Cup

Saffie never planned to make friends on enrollment day—she just wanted to get it over with, go home early, and maybe eat something before fainting. But somewhere between the heat, the hunger, and the long line, a stranger handed her a cold bottle of C2 and a small pack of Rebisco—no questions asked, just a quiet kindness that stuck. His name was Alister. And as days turned into weeks, and snacks turned into shared moments, Saffie found herself waiting for more than just food. Maybe it was the way he always seemed to know when she needed comfort… or maybe it was the way he never asked anything in return. In a university full of noise, pressure, and passing faces, he became the one constant. The boy who stayed. The friend who never asked her to be anything more—yet somehow made her wish she could be. Behind every cup he gave, every moment they shared, and every small silence between them… was there something else brewing? Maybe it wasn’t just coffee after all. Maybe it was always him.