January fled swiftly, and before she knew it, Iris's month had arrived. With February came unexpected popularity. Students she had never spoken to before suddenly knew her name, glancing her way in the hallways and whispering behind textbooks. Ever since the day she sat next to Noah, the school's rumor mill had been spinning non-stop.
"Iris and Noah look perfect together."
"Noah is clearly better off with Iris than Isla ever was."
Though no one dared say anything aloud in class-fearful of sparking Isla's temper-it was clear the entire school had caught wind of Iris's feelings for Noah. And Iris could feel it too. In the cafeteria, in the corridors, even during lunch, eyes trailed her every move. It was suffocating and thrilling all at once.
Today's physics class was no better.
As usual, the students were split into groups for practical experiments, and luck wasn't on Iris's side. She ended up grouped with Isla, Lucas, Mart, Theo-and Noah. And to top it off, she was awkwardly wedged between Mart and Theo.
Mart had always been like an older brother to her, offering help whenever she was in a bind and giving thoughtful advice when she needed direction. But even Mart couldn't save her from the exhaustion that weighed down her eyes today. She and Hazel had stayed up until nearly 4 a.m. to finish their English project-Hazel had plans the previous evening, so they had no other option but to cram it all into one brutal night.
Now, heavy with fatigue, Iris rested her head on the table, praying the teacher wouldn't notice her slipping into sleep for just a few blissful minutes.
But peace didn't last.
"Iris," Theo's voice rang out like a slap. "You like Noah, don't you? Come on, everyone knows. You don't have to keep pretending."
She didn't respond. Instead, her gaze drifted to Noah. He looked away quickly, but not before she caught the flush spreading to his ears.
Embarrassed, Iris pulled her jacket over her face, hoping to hide from the moment. But Theo wasn't finished. He yanked the jacket down.
"Don't be shy now."
Before Iris could even form a sentence, Mart cut in, casually throwing out, "I don't think so. She likes James, remember? Isn't she closer to him than Noah? Right, Iris?"
Her stomach turned. Her expression soured as she opened her mouth to protest, but Theo was faster.
"You've got a thing for guys with abs, don't you? And Noah's been hitting the gym by school. You must've seen him, right?"
Iris's cheeks flamed, and she couldn't stop her mind from drifting to that day.
Flashback
It was during the first semester. Iris and Lucas were hanging out near school, chatting-as always-about Noah. She lifted her eyes to the sky and sighed dramatically.
"I really wish I could see him right now," she said. "Lucas, imagine-it's been two hours since I last saw him."
Lucas had barely begun to laugh when Iris screamed.
Noah.
He was in the nearby gym, shirt damp with sweat as he worked out. Her heart leapt, and before Lucas could react, she took off running in the opposite direction. She didn't dare look back. All she could think was God, I hope he didn't see me.
What if he thought she was stalking him?
She just wanted to disappear.
End of Flashback
Still lost in her thoughts, Iris didn't hear Mart the first time.
"But seriously, isn't it James?" he pressed. "He's taller than Noah, isn't he?"
Iris blinked, coming back to reality, still baffled by Mart's seriousness. Why was he even bringing James into this?
She chose to ignore both Mart and Theo as their voices rose around her, arguing about who suited her better: the quietly blushing Noah or this supposed rival, James.
Meanwhile, James, sitting just a few steps behind, frowned at the noisy chaos, clearly puzzled by the storm of voices that had somehow swirled around his name.
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By the next day, Iris couldn't bring herself to face Noah-not after everything that had happened. Embarrassment gripped her tightly, and she made up her mind: she would avoid him, at least for today.
When she stepped into the classroom, her head lowered instinctively. Without sparing a glance in his direction, she walked briskly past Noah's desk, praying he wouldn't notice the redness in her cheeks. Spotting Hazel on the far side of the room, she headed straight to her and sat down, relieved that the seat was comfortably distant from Noah's.
Hazel, observant as ever, leaned in with a raised brow. "Girl," she whispered, "it's obvious. Everyone can see it-you fought with him and now you're totally ignoring him. What happened yesterday while I was gone?"
The morning air was crisp and chilly. A cold breeze brushed past Iris, and she let out a small sneeze. She had always loved winter, but her body rarely agreed-she caught colds easily. She stood to close the window before returning to her seat, just as she was about to explain.
Hazel smirked. "Iris, he's so into you. When you sneezed, he turned to look at you right away."
Iris quickly shook her head. "That's impossible. Not after what happened yesterday."
She began to recount the events of the previous day-carefully, slowly-and Hazel couldn't contain her laughter, especially at the part about Mart dragging James into the situation again.
"Iris," Hazel grinned, "are you seriously going to ignore him all day? You're gonna break his little heart! Come on, don't you feel even a tiny bit sorry for him? He didn't do anything wrong. Just give him a chance. I mean-it's so obvious he likes you back!"
Iris blushed, lips parting to reply-but the class had already begun, and she didn't get the chance.
Later, they discovered that their history teacher was absent, so Iris and Hazel decided to head to the study hall. It was usually quiet and only sparsely filled with students-not necessarily for studying.
They found an empty table and sat down. Both girls pulled out their phones. Iris quickly became immersed in a mobile game, determined to stay distracted. She hadn't even noticed that Noah and Leo had joined them at the next table. Noah had come to talk to Hazel about Rubik's cube tricks-something he and Hazel had bonded over before.
Iris wasn't great with cubes, so she kept her eyes glued to the screen. She was committed to ignoring Noah for the day. She had to do it properly.
But halfway through the game, Iris sensed someone watching her. Assuming it was Hazel, she looked up to ask what she wanted-only to find Noah staring right at her, a soft smile playing on his lips.
Their eyes met for a second too long.
Her heart jolted.
Why was he looking at her like that? Smiling? Like nothing had happened? Confused and flustered, Iris abruptly stood. "I need some fresh air," she muttered to Hazel before slipping out into the hallway.
There, she bumped into Lucas, who had been heading in her direction. Hazel had already given him a heads-up about Iris's "Noah avoidance mission," and he wanted to understand what was going on.
Iris didn't hesitate. She told him everything-what had happened the day before, what Theo had said, Mart's comments, and just now, how Noah looked at her like she hadn't shattered into a thousand pieces last night.
She took a breath. "Lucas... I think I need to confess to Noah. About how I really feel."
Lucas blinked. "Wait-what?"
"He already knows," Iris continued, "but I wasn't the one who told him. And I want to be. I'll do it tomorrow. Just... during that hour, you need to distract James. Please. If I don't do it tomorrow, I don't think I ever will."
Lucas stared at her, stunned. But then he smiled-because, of course, she was Iris. Once she made up her mind about something, there was no stopping her. ***********************************************************************************************
It was Saturday. The day Iris had promised herself she would finally confess to Noah. Everything had been planned-quietly, confidently-but as with many things in her life lately, reality had other intentions.
The history teacher who had been absent the day before had decided to give the other class a surprise quiz... and now, Iris's class would be getting the same treatment. Instead of finding herself alone with Noah, the classroom filled quickly-James, Lucas, Isla, and several others filed in. Her window was gone. So was the moment.
It wasn't meant to be, not today.
Days slipped past, unnoticed, and soon it was the 9th-her birthday. It fell on a Sunday this year, a quiet one, overshadowed by the looming exams the following week. There was no party, no celebration. Everyone seemed busy with their own lives. But Iris didn't mind. She was growing-into someone calmer, quieter, more thoughtful. She didn't expect people to remember. She didn't need the attention.
But what she couldn't shake was the knot in her chest. The unresolved space between her and Noah still lingered in the air like an unfinished sentence.
That night, after long hours of studying, Iris quietly slipped up to the rooftop of her house - her secret sanctuary. The stars shimmered above like scattered wishes, and the full moon bathed everything in soft silver light. She sat alone beneath the sky she loved, the cool breeze brushing against her skin, and thought, this... this is the perfect birthday gift. But as always, her thoughts strayed. They found their way to Noah. Uninvited yet ever welcome, his memory came alive - the sound of his laugh, the quiet glances they shared, the strange comfort his presence brought, as if he could hush the world inside her without ever saying a word.
Then something strange struck her.
Noah had never once called her by her name.
He would tap her shoulder if he needed something. Or just speak directly, never addressing her properly. Not once.
A faint memory bubbled up. Something her friend had said last year.
"If a boy avoids saying your name... maybe it's because it means something to him. Maybe, you mean something to him."
Iris blinked, heart still, wondering-could that really be true?
And if it was... what did that make her to him? After a while, she made her way down to her room, her steps slow and heavy with exhaustion. The moment she sank into the warmth of her bed and her head touched the pillow, sleep claimed her instantly - as if her body had been waiting all day for that very moment.
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