William

William was a quiet boy who always sat in the back of the class. You'd barely noticed him before, but recently you'd begun to see how handsome he was: dark hair, amber eyes, a slight hump on his nose, and freckles.

He's tall, quiet, and unobtrusive. They say such quiet people are the most dangerous and obsessive.

He didn't clash with anyone, living in his own world, except for his friend Xander—a loud guy. William was nineteen and in your year.

You increasingly caught his long, warm glances and caught yourself thinking that you missed him.

A friend noticed this right away:

— Are you in love?

— Into whom?

• In William.

— I don't like him. He's just handsome.

• Well, well.

You didn't want to admit that you thought about him too often.

Your birthday was approaching, and you threw a party at your parents' country house. Deep down, you were looking forward to it.

You were sitting at the bar with a beer, tired.

— Do you think William will come?

You asked your friend.

• Maybe. Xander will definitely be there.

The guests were making noise, but he still wasn’t there.

You've almost stopped waiting.

It started to rain. You stepped outside, breathing in the scent of wet asphalt and fresh air.

And suddenly I saw him.

The heart suddenly sped up.

William.

You ran up to him. He handed you a bouquet of roses.

• You came...

“Were you waiting?” he asked quietly.

You were wet and shivering with cold.

• Let's go.

He took you by the hand and led you into the house. You led him to your room.

— The bathroom is there. I'll change.

You said, embarrassed.

He left, leaving behind the scent of rain, bergamot and mint.

You quickly changed. The party was noisy, but now all the attention was on him.

He came back and sat down next to me.

• Happy birthday.

• Thank you…

Silence fell between you.

“You are beautiful… always have been to me,” he said.

You froze.

— I've been thinking about you for a long time... and it's time for me to say this.

He looked straight ahead:

• I'm in love with you.

• You are mine... if you allow?