Ethan Reyes didn't usually wake up early, especially not on school days. His alarm had the personality of a dying robot, and his bed was a black hole that refused to let him escape. But the morning after he saw her, after that strange, almost unreal moment in the courtyard, he found himself awake before the sun even bothered to rise. It wasn't intentional. His eyes simply opened, and suddenly the room felt smaller, warmer, filled with a restless energy that kept him from slipping back into sleep.
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Most mornings, he would lie there half-asleep until Jordan barged in with a loud lecture about punctuality, responsibility, and "why you should really get your life together, bro." Today, though, Ethan didn't need any of that. His mind was already racing. Not about homework or plans or the day ahead.
About her.
Lila Maren.
He didn't even know her name yet, but the memory of her—her eyes, her quiet smile, the softness in her voice—had burned itself behind his eyelids like a gentle flame. He had replayed the moment a hundred times already, and it wasn't even breakfast time. Every time he blinked, he saw her tucking her hair behind her ear, sunlight brushing her skin like it preferred her over everyone else in the world.
"Bro," Jordan's voice echoed from the hallway, followed by a thud as he swung the door open without knocking. "You're up early. Did the apocalypse start and no one told me?"
Ethan threw a pillow at him half-heartedly. "Shut up."
Jordan, annoyingly energetic at seven in the morning, dodged the pillow with a smug grin. "I'm just saying, it's weird seeing you conscious before I drag you out of bed. Something happen? Did a ghost visit you? Did you finally realize school exists?"
Ethan sat up, rubbing his face. "Leave me alone."
Jordan narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He was two years older, annoyingly perceptive, and had this supernatural ability to sniff out secrets like a detective in a TV show. "You're acting weird."
"Maybe you're weird."
"No, no, no," Jordan said, pointing at him dramatically. "You have that look." "What look?"
"The look of a man who saw a girl."
Ethan froze for a fraction of a second, barely noticeable—except Jordan noticed everything.
"Oh my god," Jordan gasped. "You DID."
"Shut up," Ethan muttered, but it was too late. Jordan's grin stretched so wide it probably hurt.
"This is great!" Jordan clapped like a seal. "Who is she? What's her name? Do I know her? Do YOU know her? Wait—do you even know her name?"
Ethan remained silent, which was answer enough.
Jordan's laughter filled the room like it owned the place. "You confessed to some girl and you don't even know her name?! That's so—you. That's the most Ethan thing I've ever heard."
"I didn't confess," Ethan said, grabbing a shirt from his chair. "I just… said something."
"What did you say?" Jordan leaned in like he was waiting for a plot twist.
"It doesn't matter," Ethan said quickly.
Jordan gasped again, dramatically. "Did you tell her she was pretty?"
"No."
"Did you tell her you liked her hair?"
"No."
Jordan squinted. "Ethan."
"What?"
"What did you say?"
After a moment, Ethan sighed. "I told her her eyes were beautiful."
Jordan blinked.
Then he started screaming.
It was the kind of scream that only siblings could produce—half joy, half mockery, entirely unnecessary.
"You told a random girl you've never met that her eyes are BEAUTIFUL?! Ethan! You absolute maniac!"
Ethan grabbed his backpack and tried to push past him. "I'm going to school."
"You're going early?" Jordan said, suddenly suspicious again. "Are you planning on seeing her again?"
Ethan didn't answer, because he didn't know the answer himself.
---[At School]---
The school courtyard looked different in the morning. Not exactly quieter—students still moved around, chattering, laughing, existing—but something had shifted. Maybe it was the lingering coolness of the air or the soft light stretching across the concrete. Or maybe it was simply because Ethan was looking for someone.
Not frantically. Not obsessively.
But… hoping.
He told himself it wasn't a big deal. It was just a moment. Just a random encounter. Just a girl whose eyes made him forget what breathing was. He scanned the crowd, just once, telling himself it meant nothing.
Then he saw her.
Lila Maren stood near the front steps, her bag resting at her feet, her hair brushing her shoulder in a lazy, gentle wave. She was talking to a girl Ethan recognized loosely—Maya Ellis, one of the popular-but-not-annoying types. Maya was animated, laughing with her whole body, while Lila listened with a quiet smile.
That smile.
It hit him again. Harder this time.
Maya noticed him first.
Her eyes narrowed in playful curiosity before her lips curled into something mischievous. She nudged Lila with her elbow, whispering something quickly.
Lila turned.
Their eyes met.