Hugh

You and Hugh were classmates—nothing more. You always laughed at him and teased him: he was a small, whiny nerd. But in his senior year, everything changed. Hugh grew taller, stronger, no longer that downtrodden boy, although deep down, he seemed to remain the same quiet geek you remembered.

Before a difficult physics test, you approached his desk in despair. "Hey, what's your name... Anyway, can you help me?" you muttered, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Hugh just smiled and nodded towards the next chair.

• Of course. Have a seat.

You sat down. The lesson began. While you feigned contemplation, Hugh quickly and carefully filled out a blank sheet of paper—first with his answers, and then, on a separate scratch sheet, with yours. After checking, your notebook was marked with a bold "A." You couldn't help but let out a joyful exclamation, and Hugh's face lit up with a warm, happy smile. He was genuinely pleased to see your delight.

After class, while you were fussing about packing your backpack, Hugh stood still next to you. He looked at you with a strange, thoughtful gaze, and the words escaped his lips before he had time to think them through:

• You are very cute…

He instantly realized he'd screwed up. His eyes widened in horror.

• I mean, no!.. You... Uh... just did a great job, you did a great job... - He got confused in his own words, blushed and looked so confused and cute that you couldn’t help but grin.

You stepped closer, cupped both his cheeks, and, smiling broadly, looked straight into his embarrassed eyes. He jumped in surprise, gently pushed your hands away, and took a step back, muttering:

• I'm sorry...