They would breathe into each other's mouth for such a long time, and they both were a bit shy, yet smiling more than it occurred to them really. The very essence of the classroom, which was around them, faded into the background like the world slowed just for them.
Einstein gently cleared his throat and fidgeted nervously with the edge of his shirt. Did you... uh... like my study?"
Eliza responded instantly with nods, her eyes warm. "Yeah. It was good - confident. And then you really stood up to Maria? That was bold."
She leaned just a touch closer, a smile implying fun. "But let's just say I don't even want to talk about her. I'm actually not a fan."
Einstein chuckled nervously. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a sheepish grin. Sitting this close to a girl like Eliza was new territory for him; he wasn't used to it. He was good at numbers and formulas and fixing things that had broken down, not at moments like this.
Trying to do something cool, he glanced at her glasses. "I love your style too-your glasses are ... cute. But mine? Mine are kind of special."
Eliza cocked her head. "Special?"
He nodded proudly with a tap on the side of his specs. "Yup. Built them in my mini lab. Nothing huge, just... some features. A few little tricks."
Her interest grew instantaneously. "Wait, really? You made them? That's cool! Can I try them on?"
Einstein took his spectacles off gently and held them in his hands. "Of course. But... give me a sec."
He had twisted them a bit and pressed a small but hidden button on the side with his fingers. A little green light blinked on to show it had been activated. Then, with a little smile, he handed it over. "Okay. Now they're ready."
Eliza put them on and giggled. "Am I genius with them?"
Einstein didn't say anything. He simply smiled, watching her face closely. And then-words began appearing on the inside of the lenses. A soft, glowing message formed right before her eyes in elegant letters:
"Hey Lovely Eliza, would you like to be my friend?"
She gasped softly, her eyes widening on the inside of the lenses. "Wait… did this just… appear?"
Einstein nodded still blushing. "I, uh... programmed that in. Just now. Thought it might be a... sweet way to ask."
Eliza took off the glasses slowly, brushing her fingers against his as she handed them over.
''That was sweet," she said quietly, ''really sweet."
Then, looking straight into his eyes, she added with a sincere smile, ''Yes. I'd love to be your friend."
Einstein's heart apparently skipped a beat at that. He grinned without even trying to hide it this time. It wasn't flashy. It wasn't loud. But it meant everything.
It was as if the moment belonged in a dream.
Just outside the door, Vinci would have been peeping, and peep he did through the window and chuckled. ''They're still in there."
Hawkings bent over to look. ''Confirmed. Mission successful then.''
The two of them bumped fists, grinning.
They left the classroom behind and walked towards the old mango tree just outside the school yard-a spot that had become their usual thinking place. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, and a gentle, soothing breeze wafted through the air.
They dropped their bags underneath the tree and sat down on grass, backs against the thick trunk.
''Dude," sighed Vinci, stretching out, "those two are now in a new wavelength together.''
Hawkings agreed. "Einstein's had a thing for her since, like, the second week of school. He just needed a push."
''A gentle cosmic shove," Vinci laughed as he uprooted grass and twirled it around. ''Now he's in orbit.''
Both of them laughed lightly, relishing the scene.
Hawkings tilted his head back and looked at the sky after a while. ''You know, I've been thinking... What if we've been seeing time travel all wrong?''
Vinci turned to him, intrigued. ''How do you mean?''
''Maybe it isn't just about going into the past or the future. Maybe it is also about... seeing the moments that we miss. The emotions. The little changes. Like... what actually leads to someone making a choice.''
Vinci nodded slowly. ''Invisible timelines.''
''Exactly,'' Hawkings said. ''The ones shaped by feelings. Not math.''
There was a pause.
Vinci reached for his notebook and opened a page filled with sketches. Loops, arrows, spirals-even a heart drawn over a grid of time.
''See this?'' he said. ''I've been working on this theory. If memory is tied to time and emotion is tied to memory...''
''...then emotion bends time,'' Hawkings finished. ''Kind of like gravity.''
''Exactly,'' Vinci grinned. ''Pulls moments closer. Speeds them up or slows them down. Depending on how strong the feeling is.''
They both sat there quietly, letting the thought settle.
Then Hawkings smiled, looking toward the classroom. ''What if Einstein tries confessing again in the future but she forgets? Would the memory of this moment still exist?''
Vinci thought for a second. ''Only if that moment is strong enough to ripple.''
''Like now?'' Hawkings asked.
''Yeah. Like now,'' Vinci said.
They laughed again. Not exactly loud, but feeling warm and real.
Then, Vinci said, ''Bro, we need to build something-a model, a map, a way to track emotional timelines.''
''I'm already coding it in my mind,'' Hawkings said, tapping his temple.
Under the mango tree, two brilliant minds weren't just talking about numbers. They were building dreams-about time, emotions, and the things science sometimes forgets to measure.
And a few meters away, in the classroom, Einstein and Eliza were still talking.
Still smiling.
Still close.
And somewhere, in the silence between heartbeats, time stopped for just a little while... to let something beautiful begin.