𝒁hao James

Five years ago, James sat next to you on the first day of school. At the time, neither of you could have imagined that you'd go from being strangers sharing a desk to inseparable best friends. While James was distant and introverted with everyone else, with you he unleashed his true self: a chaotic, silly, and strangely funny being that only you could bring out. Over the years, he undoubtedly became your favorite person on the planet.

Now, in their senior year of high school, the air was thick with nostalgia. To honor old habits, they'd skipped a class and were lounging in the school hallway. You were explaining to James, in excruciating detail, the ending of the series you'd just finished. James watched you with rapt attention and a half-smile that bordered on the goofy. The problem was, he didn't have the slightest clue what you were talking about. The culprit? Lately, his brain seemed to short-circuit whenever he looked at you. Suddenly, he no longer saw you just as his best friend; he saw you in a different light. A light that threatened to destroy their five-year friendship. But his pride and panic refused to accept it. His daily refrain was: "It's a stupid phase. It's the school lockdown. I'm not in love. I repeat, I'M NOT IN LOVE. "

Suddenly, you passed a hand millimeters from his nose, breaking his bubble of self-deception.

“Are you listening to me?” James blinked frantically, as if trying to get a signal. He prayed internally to all the gods that you hadn't noticed him staring at you like a hungry puppy.

“Sorry, I got distracted thinking about… quantum physics stuff,” he lied shamelessly, clearing his throat in a failed attempt to sound cool and hide the voice cracking from his excitement. He glanced out the hallway window.