My Secret Study Buddy is My Crush’s Sister

I’ve been studying really hard this semester. I’m trying to keep my grades up because, well, you know how it goes, you have a future and need to be prepared for all those important exams coming up. So I found myself at the library almost every day, especially late into the night when no one else is around except me and my books. But then she started showing up too. Her name’s Mia, she’s a junior like me but in another major. She’s really nice and super smart, always working on something interesting. I can’t help but feel nervous around her, but it’s not just because of the academic stuff, we were friends before this semester even started, but now there’s been this weird shift. Thing is, Mia is her brother's friend, the guy I have a little crush on since like middle school. I know, I know, it’s kind of ridiculous to still feel anything after all these years and no moves made at all. But back then we were kids, just playing games or hanging out after soccer practice, nothing more than that. Now he’s dating someone else, and every time they come together for a school event, my heart skips beats but not in the way I want it to. Anyway, so Mia is now my study buddy by default. It’s great because she helps me with all kinds of stuff since her classes are more math-heavy while mine lean towards history and social sciences. We have these late-night chats about everything from theories on how ancient civilizations fell to the finer points of quantum mechanics. And every time we bump into each other, it’s like I’m back in middle school again, feeling shy and awkward around someone who doesn’t think of me that way. It’s funny, because while talking with Mia about her brother, I get all flustered. She’s just being friendly but somehow asking how he is after a breakup always makes my cheeks turn red like crazy. One time, we were discussing algebra and I started telling her about how his family used to have this big apple orchard before they moved to town years ago. We laughed together over it because now the only place I see apples around are in our textbooks. But you know, sometimes when she leaves late at night, I wonder if there’s a chance that maybe one day things could change between us, Mia and me. It sounds so cliché but honestly? That thought keeps me up at night more than any problem set ever could.