The First Look, The First Step
She stood near her classroom, talking quietly with her best friend.
Her face still looked a little tired but calmer than before.
The fear in her eyes had reduced.
She looked… normal again.
And that alone made something in his chest loosen.
He stayed at a distance, pretending to look at his phone, but his eyes kept drifting toward her.
Every few seconds.
Uncontrollably.
Her best friend noticed.
She followed her friend’s gaze…
saw him standing a little far away…
hands in pockets…
heart in his eyes…
and she immediately understood everything without needing an explanation.
She leaned closer to the girl and whispered softly, making sure nobody else heard:
“There. He’s right there.
Go talk to him.”
The girl’s eyes widened slightly.
She turned subtly, pretending like she wasn’t searching for someone — then she saw him.
The boy froze on the spot the moment their eyes met.
He looked away quickly, pretending to check the notice board that wasn’t even there.
His heart started beating too fast.
His hands turned cold.
He suddenly forgot how to stand normally.
Her best friend nudged her gently.
“Just go. He was genuinely worried about you.”
The girl hesitated.
Nervous.
Shy.
Not sure what to say.
But she took a small breath…
and took a step forward.
---
Meanwhile, he felt like the world was closing in.
His heartbeat was loud.
Too loud.
His senses sharpened again — the same strange sensitivity he felt whenever his emotions got too strong.
He didn’t want her to see the glow in his eyes.
He didn’t want her to see him shaking.
He wasn’t ready.
He started to walk away — slowly, quietly — hoping to escape before she reached him.
But her best friend saw him move and whispered urgently:
“He’s leaving. Go now.”
The girl nodded and walked faster.
---
He reached the end of the corridor when he heard someone call softly:
“Hey…”
He stopped.
His heart stopped.
He turned slowly.
She was standing there.
Right in front of him.
Not smiling widely, not glowing dramatically — just looking at him with a soft, gentle expression.
The one expression that always made him stop breathing.
For a second, neither of them spoke.
Then she said quietly:
“Um… my friend told me you… asked about me.”
His chest tightened.
He nodded slowly.
She looked down at her hands.
She was nervous too.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For… caring.”
The words hit him harder than anything he had ever heard.
He didn’t know how to respond.
He wanted to say a thousand things, but his throat refused to work.
All he could manage was:
“…Are you okay now?”
She nodded.
“Better. Yesterday wasn’t easy… but I didn’t want to stay scared.”
He looked down, swallowing his emotions.
He didn’t trust himself to speak too much.
He didn’t trust the strange glow that always appeared when he felt too much.
She stepped a little closer.
“You’re quiet,” she said gently. “But… I always knew you’re kind.”
His heartbeat spiked too fast.
His breathing became uneven.
For a split second — just a split second — the blue glow flickered in his eyes again.
She didn’t notice.
But her best friend watching from a distance did.
The friend whispered under her breath:
“…What was that?”
---
Back in front of him, the girl gave a small smile.
A real one.
“I’m glad you’re here,” she said softly.
And then she walked back to her class.
He stood there alone…
frozen…
heart full…
mind spinning…
eyes slowly fading back to normal.
Something had changed.
Not in the school.
Not in her.
But inside him.
For the first time in his silent life…
someone he loved finally spoke to him first.
