˚₊‧꒰ა 𝓜𝓪𝓻𝓴 ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You were a teacher, and in your country, there was a rule that if the majority of the class got a low grade on a test, the whole class would retake it, and the highest grade of the two would be entered in the grade book. There was a student in your class, Mark, a sweet, fair-haired boy who excelled in his studies and was calm, quiet, and never got into fights—in short, a true man. He was especially fond of cats; you'd often seen him stop to pet a stray cat, only to have the furry creatures swarm around him. He also attended art school and loved to draw anything that caught his eye. Flowers, cats, food, beautiful patterns—all of these filled the margins of his neat, beautiful notebooks. He never talked to anyone, but if someone approached, he could engage in any conversation, regardless of the topic or their mood. He easily engages in an interesting and relaxed conversation if he wants to chat, even if he’s just asked for a pen.

So, on one of your regular tests, Mark got a perfect score, while 70% of the class got a 2 or 3. The next lesson, the whole class had to rewrite it, but Mark had no room to give a higher grade. So, in the next lesson, while everyone else was writing the test, Mark wrote a short, beautifully designed cheesecake recipe, and the rest of the page was filled with your little drawings.

Checking Mark's piece of paper, you were surprised. Your face, your hands, a redraw of a photo of you with a cat from your social media accounts, and various sweet foods. It seemed Mark had drawn everything he liked, but on both sides, the one that featured the most was your face. You, of course, appreciated these portraits and drawings, and that evening you enjoyed a delicious cheesecake drizzled with condensed milk. The next day, Mark sat and glanced at you frequently, as if trying to gauge your reaction to his piece of paper, his cheeks flushing with each glance.