Monday morning came with a crisp wind, the sky pale and soft, as if the clouds had just finished sleeping.
The week had barely begun, but Zayne was already at the tutorial center—early, earlier than usual. He couldn't explain it; something in him just wanted to see her again. He wanted to know if things would be awkward after Saturday's confession, or if their friendship would still be the same. He had accepted her terms, agreed to wait, but his heart still beat faster than it should whenever he thought about her.
He sat near the window, pretending to be going through his Civic notebook—but his eyes weren't reading. They were waiting.
Then the door opened.
And Liana walked in.
His eyes lifted instantly—and everything in him paused.
She was dressed in a simple but striking outfit—a cream crop top with slightly puffy sleeves, paired with blue jeans that hugged her perfectly. The crop top wasn't revealing—it didn't show anything unless she raised her hands or bent down—but it gave her an elegant confidence. Her sisters, Linda and Lisa, followed behind, similarly dressed. Clearly, they had coordinated.
But Zayne only saw her.
From the moment she stepped in, his eyes followed her from head to toe. The way her jeans sat on her hips, the way her hair framed her soft face, the shy way she smiled when she noticed him staring…
He swallowed hard.
Lord, help me, he thought, blinking slowly.
She sat down beside him without saying anything at first, pulling her books out of her bag. He tried to play it cool, flipping a page in his Civic notes, but inside he was screaming.
How can you be this beautiful and not even know it?
Then she turned to him and smiled.
"Good morning."
"Morning," he replied, finally finding his voice.
And just like that, they began talking—casual at first.
They laughed about how rainy last week had been, teased each other over who forgot more math formulas, joked about Linda's weird obsession with chewing gum in class.
There was peace.
There was ease.
There was something real.
But not everyone liked that.
From across the room, a girl named Tina—one of the loudest, most noticed girls in the tutorial—was watching them closely.
She had been crushing on Zayne since he first walked into that center. Like many others, she had tried to talk to him, flirt with him, sit near him. But he barely noticed.
And now, Liana, the quiet, shy, barely-dressed-up girl who never even wore lip gloss, was sitting beside him every single day—talking. Laughing. Blushing.
Tina couldn't take it anymore.
She stood and walked over, notebook in hand.
"Zayne," she said, putting on her best voice. "Can you help me with this math question? It's confusing."
Liana instinctively began to shift on the bench, preparing to make room. But before she could move fully, Zayne gently reached out and held her wrist.
"Sorry," he said without looking at Tina. "We're in the middle of a conversation."
The entire class didn't hear it.
But Tina—and Liana—definitely did.
Tina stood frozen, lips slightly parted. Then, without another word, she turned sharply and walked away, her cheeks burning.
Zayne looked back at Liana, and for a moment, she just stared at him. Her heart was racing a little. She couldn't explain it. The touch of his hand, the way he stood up for her—it all felt too much, too warm.
Then he smirked a little and said:
"Girl… you need to speak up sometimes."
Liana smiled shyly, looking down.
"You handled it," she whispered.
"You're worth handling," he replied.
She looked up. Their eyes met.
And for the first time since Saturday's confession…
There was no awkwardness.
No tension.
Just a growing feeling that neither of them could name.
Not yet.
But it was there.
Burning quietly.