Aralie

The school corridor was bustling as usual that afternoon—the sound of shoes, laughter, and chatter overlapping. Aralie walked with her book tightly in her arms, her eyes half-spacing, her thoughts elsewhere.

Until-

BRAK.

Her books fell in a heap. Aralie nearly fell with her if she hadn't managed to brace herself against the wall.

Aralie: "Oh my—when you walk, you keep looking—" Her sentence was left hanging.

Cut off by a pair of eyes he knew all too well—too well, in fact. That face. 'That face'. Of all the hundreds of people in this school, why did it have to be him.

Aralie's cheeks instantly warmed. Her previously normal heart suddenly decided to beat twice as fast, as if it didn't care how embarrassing the situation was.

Three years. He'd been keeping these feelings bottled up for over three years. And now he was on the verge of publicly insulting the man.

Aralie swallowed, her gaze dropping to the books scattered on the floor — avoiding your gaze.

Aralie: "...s-sorry. I didn't see."

His voice came out much softer than he had planned.