After a few moments, Steffie emerged.
She stopped when she saw him. Their eyes met again.
"What a coincidence, right?" Karl said, trying to smile casually.
"Yes… indeed," she replied, clearly flustered.
"Hey, Senior, did you—"
"No!" she interrupted quickly, cheeks reddening.
"I was… just looking at the school grounds."
Karl smirked playfully.
"I didn't mention anything about you watching me. So… you actually were watching me, huh?"
"W-What! No! I mean—ugh, this is so embarrassing!"
Karl laughed gently, extending a hand.
"I'm Karl. Karl Wilson. Nice to meet you, officially."
Steffie hesitated, then smiled and shook his hand.
"Steffie Bayron. Likewise."
There was a brief, charged pause.
"Do you always sit alone in class?" Karl asked.
Steffie nodded, eyes drifting to the side.
"I guess I do. Not really the 'group' type."
Karl chuckled.
"Same here. Maybe being alone isn't so bad… if you know the right people."
After a few more exchanged smiles, the hallway fell into a quiet lull between classes. The golden sunlight outside painted soft shadows across the floor tiles, and a soft breeze carried the smell of blooming flowers from the garden.
As Steffie turned to leave, Karl cleared his throat gently and spoke.
"If you don't mind… can we have lunch together?"
Steffie paused mid-step, her head turning slightly, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Hey… we just met today," she said with a raised brow, a mix of amusement and curiosity in her tone.
Karl shrugged, casually leaning against the wall, his eyes meeting hers with unexpected boldness.
"True. But who wouldn't want to have lunch with a cute senior?"
That caught her off guard.
She blinked once, then smirked.
"Wait a minute… are you flirting with me?"
Karl tilted his head, eyes twinkling.
"Aaah… guess I am."
She stared at him, partly impressed, partly amused.
"You really do have a lot of confidence for a first-year."
"Confidence is all I've got," he said with a soft chuckle.
"But did you think… I didn't consider the chance of rejection?"
Steffie folded her arms, still watching him with that curious glint in her brown eyes.
"So you're prepared to get turned down?"
Karl nodded without hesitation.
"Absolutely. And you know what? I'll keep trying… until the day you fall in love with me."
There was a silence between them—short, yet full of tension. Not awkward, but charged.
Steffie shook her head with a faint laugh, cheeks visibly warming.
"Let's see… how long you can keep trying."
She turned away gracefully, but as she walked down the hallway, she couldn't resist glancing back.
And Karl saw her.
Their eyes met once more, even at a distance.
He threw his hands up in silent celebration, a wide grin lighting up his face.
"Yeeeaaahhh! My college life is gonna be amazing!"
---
Steffie's Inner Thoughts
As she turned the corner, Steffie touched her cheek, still warm from blushing.
"Thank God I managed to keep my cool," she thought, a soft smile on her lips.
"I never imagined a guy—especially a junior—would say something like that to me."
She paused near the window and looked down at the schoolyard where students were gathering.
"Let's see how far this confident boy is willing to go for me..."
And for the first time in a long while, a flutter of excitement filled her chest.