Time had passed.
And somehow, without either of them planning it, Zayne and Liana had become… close.
Not the casual kind of close.
The kind where she always saved him a seat with her bag.
The kind where he carried her books sometimes, even though she never asked.
The kind where they laughed quietly at inside jokes in the back of the class.
The kind where everyone began to notice.
Some students whispered.
Some watched.
Some wished.
But they both ignored the noise. Or at least, Liana did.
For Zayne… it was harder.
Because as their friendship grew deeper, so did his feelings.
He wanted more than late-night chats.
More than walking her to the junction.
More than the sweet way she said his name when she was confused in math.
He wanted all of her.
But he also didn't want to scare her away.
So he kept smiling.
Kept joking.
Kept being "just a friend."
But deep down, every second beside her was making it harder to pretend.
That Thursday felt different.
The sky was heavy with dark clouds by noon, and the scent of approaching rain filled the air. Wind rustled through the tutorial windows, and students whispered nervously, glancing up.
The math teacher entered, completely unfazed.
"Class, open your notebooks. Let's quickly finish this before the sky opens up."
As usual, Liana walked to the front to see clearly, her pen already in motion. Zayne sat at the back, eyes trained on her—not the board.
Her handwriting.
Her focus.
The way her brow furrowed when she was trying to solve a problem.
Every tiny detail made his chest tighten a little more.
How can you not know what you're doing to me?
The class dragged. Thunder rumbled in the distance.
And just as the teacher wrapped up the lesson and shouted over the noise—
"Class dismissed! Go before the rain begins!"—
The first flash of lightning struck.
As students packed up in a hurry, Liana stood and made her way back to her seat near the back. The room had grown dim, shadows stretching along the walls. The wind howled outside, and the classroom door slammed shut with a bang.
Zayne watched her approach.
One step.
Two steps.
Three—
CRACK!
A loud, violent thunderclap exploded across the sky.
Startled, Liana stumbled on a half-zipped backpack left in the aisle. Her foot twisted slightly, her balance gone—
And she fell—
Right onto Zayne's lap.
It all happened in a flash.
Her soft body against him.
Her wide eyes meeting his.
The heat of her presence.
She gasped, face flushed, and immediately stood up, straightening her skirt and muttering, "I'm so sorry!" just as some of the class began rushing out, too distracted by the rain to notice anything.
But Zayne…
Zayne didn't move.
He couldn't.
His heart was pounding. His chest tight. His mind completely blank.
Gosh, girl. Careful, he thought, dizzy.
You're going to make me break.
He ran a shaky hand through his hair and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
If you knew what you just did to me…
He didn't say a word. Just nodded slowly as she sat beside him, cheeks still red, avoiding his gaze.
Whispers in the Wind
That moment—though it passed quickly—didn't go unnoticed for long.
By the next day, the tutorial center was buzzing.
Some girls side-eyed Liana when she entered.
Others whispered when Zayne walked past.
A few looked at her like she had something they couldn't touch.
Some guys muttered:
"They're dating, abeg. You no dey see them always together?"
"She just dey do innocent. That girl don hold that boy finish."
It wasn't true.
But Zayne wished it was.
That night, as he lay in bed staring at the ceiling fan spinning slowly above him, Zayne's heart was full—and aching.
He replayed everything.
Her fall.
Her warmth.
The accidental touch that set every nerve in his body on fire.
He pressed the phone to his chest without opening their chat.
Liana… I know you don't see it.
But I'm falling for you so hard.
And you're breaking me slowly, gently, sweetly… and I can't stop it.
I don't want to stop it.
He closed his eyes and smiled softly.
He could only wish.
And tonight, that wish was louder than the thunder that had brought her into his arms—even if only for a moment.