Friday afternoon came with a golden sky, the kind that felt like a movie scene.
The halls were quieter than usual after the final bell. Most students had rushed out for the weekend. But not Amira.
She lingered by the windows, holding the notebook tightly to her chest. Her journal—the one filled with words she never knew she had in her—was now worn at the edges, filled with weeks of unsent love letters.
She didn't leave it on the desk this time.
Instead, she stood by the back stairs—the quiet corner of the school no one used—and waited.
Not because they planned to meet.
But because something told her… he might come.
---
Jayden didn't even think twice.
Something about today felt different. Like the story they were writing—one sentence at a time—was leading them here.
He turned the corner near the stairwell, heart pounding.
And then he saw her.
Amira. Standing there, fingers curled around the familiar blue notebook, looking like every letter he'd ever written was already tucked inside her.
Their eyes met. Neither of them looked away.
"I thought maybe…" she said, then stopped, nerves catching her throat.
"You did," he said gently, taking a step closer. "You thought right."
They were face to face now. No more guessing. No more questions.
Jayden looked down at the notebook between them. "So… it was you."
She smiled softly. "It was always me."
And then… silence.
But not the uncomfortable kind.
The kind that's thick with all the things you don't say because they're too big for words.
"I wanted to say something," he murmured, voice low, "but everything I wrote suddenly felt too small."
Amira tilted her head, eyes shining. "Try anyway."
Jayden reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
"I like you," he whispered. "I think I've been falling for you since the second page."
Her breath caught.
And then—slowly—he leaned in.
Their foreheads touched first. Just that. A whisper of closeness.
He didn't kiss her.
But he almost did.
And when he pulled back slightly, he said, "I'll wait until you want me to. But just so you know… I do. I want to."
She smiled. Eyes soft, heart open.
"I think I want you to," she whispered back. "Just… not yet."
And that was enough.