The evening air was cool when I stepped out of the hostel gate, carrying the faint scent of dust and fried food drifting from a nearby roadside shop. Students milled around, laughing and calling out to one another, but I barely noticed. My eyes searched until they landed on him.
He leaned casually against the side of a silver cab, one hand tucked into his pocket, the other scrolling through his phone. The fading sunlight caught his face at the perfect angle, highlighting his fair skin, the sharp cut of his jaw, and the small, almost mischievous smile tugging at his lips when he finally looked up.
And just like that, my heart betrayed me again skipping, racing, betraying every attempt I had made to stay calm.
"There you are," he said softly when I approached. His voice carried that warmth that always made it hard to look away.
"I had to… change," I murmured, my hand brushing nervously against my bag strap.
His gaze flickered over me quickly, not in a way that made me uncomfortable, but in a way that made my stomach flip. "You look nice," he said simply, his smile widening.
I glanced away before he could see the blush creeping up my cheeks. "So, where are we going?"
"You'll see." He gestured to the cab, holding the door open for me like it was the most natural thing in the world.
The ride was quiet at first. The radio played faintly in the background, some highlife song neither of us paid attention to. My hands fidgeted in my lap while he sat beside me, scrolling aimlessly through his phone. But every few minutes, I caught him sneaking glances at me, and when our eyes met, we both looked away quickly, smiling like children hiding a shared secret.
Finally, he put his phone away and leaned slightly closer. "You've been avoiding me."
I blinked. "What? I haven't"
"Yes, you have," he said firmly, though there was no anger in his tone, only amusement. "After what I said, you didn't even reply. You just ran off like I scared you."
My mouth opened, then closed again. "I didn't know what to say."
"Then say it now." His words were quiet, but they hung heavy in the air between us.
I swallowed, my fingers twisting the strap of my bag. "I thought maybe… you didn't mean it. That maybe it was just one of those things people say without thinking."
"Do I look like someone who says things without thinking?" His tone was calm, but his eyes held mine with a seriousness that made my chest tighten.
"No," I admitted softly.
"Then believe me."
The cab pulled to a stop outside a small café just off campus. It wasn't fancy plastic chairs arranged neatly under strings of yellow lights, the faint smell of suya wafting through the air but it was quiet, tucked away from the usual student bustle.
"Come on," he said, stepping out and offering his hand.
For a moment, I hesitated. But then I placed my hand in his, and he didn't let go until we were seated at a corner table, a small fan humming above us.
⸻
We ordered drinks, but neither of us seemed interested in them. My soda sat untouched as I fiddled with the straw wrapper, waiting for him to speak.
"Do you remember the first time you saw me?" he asked suddenly, his eyes fixed on me.
I laughed nervously. "At the admin office, with your mom."
"Exactly." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You kept looking at me. I noticed."
My jaw dropped. "You did not!"
"I did." His grin spread wider. "I remember thinking, 'Why is this girl staring at me like that?' But then I realized I couldn't stop looking back."
I shook my head, burying my face in my hands. "This is so embarrassing."
"Don't be embarrassed," he said softly, his tone changing, turning more serious. "Because from that day… you've been stuck in my head. Even when school closed, even when we stopped talking, you never really left."
The words wrapped around me like a blanket, warm and terrifying all at once. My chest tightened as I looked up at him, searching his face for any sign of doubt. But there was none. Just honesty. Just him.
"Why are you telling me all this now?" I asked quietly.
"Because I don't want to waste any more time," he said simply. "I don't want to be just your friend, Koko. I want more. I've always wanted more."
The world seemed to still around us. The faint hum of the fan, the laughter of students at a distant table, even the buzzing street outside,all of it faded until it was just his voice, his eyes, his words hanging heavy in the air.
I wanted to say something, anything, but my throat felt too tight. My heart was racing so fast it hurt.
As if sensing my struggle, he leaned back slightly, his tone softening. "You don't have to answer now. I just… needed you to know."
I nodded, my voice finally escaping in a whisper. "Thank you."
His smile returned then, smaller but more genuine, the kind that made his eyes crinkle slightly at the corners.
We talked about other things after that,classes, hostel drama, random jokes but the weight of his confession never left the air between us. Every time our hands brushed on the table, every time his laughter rang out, I felt it pressing closer, wrapping tighter around my heart.
By the time he walked me back to my hostel gate, the night had grown quieter. He paused before leaving, his hands shoved into his pockets, his gaze fixed on me.
"Think about it," he said softly. "And when you're ready, I'll be here."
I nodded again, unable to trust my voice. And then he was gone, swallowed up by the dimly lit street, leaving me with nothing but my racing heartbeat and the echo of his words.
I'll be here.