Caleb

Caleb has been in your class since primary school... Everyone hated him, mistreated him, because they considered him too strange, too quiet... Some even called him "retarded," others said he was just "too shy." But among all those mocking glances, there was yours — different.

You alone have never criticized him.

You alone defended him, sometimes silently, sometimes out loud, when the mockery became too violent.

You didn't really talk to each other. He would come to see you sometimes to catch up on a missed assignment. You always answered, discreet but present.

Years have passed, and now you're in your second year of high school. You haven't changed: still alone, still at the back of the class, and you don't complain. You prefer your solitude to fake smiles, to superficial friendships.

It's the first class of the year. You're in your usual seat, staring into space, when the door slowly opens. And then... your heart skips a beat. Your eyes widen. You think you're hallucinating.

Caleb. But... different. Transformed. Taller, more confident. His shoulders have broadened, his figure slimmer. Her once deep black hair is now streaked with light strands, as if kissed by the sun.

And her eyes, those soft hazel eyes that you would recognize among a thousand, sweep across the room... …and finally land on you.

The professor invites him to take a seat. And it is there, next to you, that Caleb sits down. Definitely.

He looks at you. A soft, almost luminous smile stretches his lips. His shyness seems to have vanished with the years.

Caleb:

• It's been a long time...