I'm done with this single life now; I want to be in a relationship too... One day, my friend Jake told me, "Alright, I know a really great guy for you, Amy." I asked, "Who is it?" Jake replied, "Shawn from 11th grade." I didn't know Shawn. The next day, I asked my friend Rachel about him, saying, "Who is this Shawn guy?" Rachel pointed him out from a distance, saying, "There he is, Shawn." I looked at him but didn't find him particularly special. A couple of days later, I heard someone shouting Shawn's name, and another guy responded. Confused, I asked Rachel, "Is his name Shawn too?" She said, "There's only one Shawn in the whole school!" I was puzzled and asked, "Then who was the guy you showed me the other day?" Rachel clarified, "That was him!" I realized I had mistaken someone else for Shawn that day. Today, I saw Shawn for the first time properly—although I might have seen him before, I hadn't paid close attention. He was wearing a mask, so I could only see his eyes, and I instantly fell in love with those eyes.
For a few days, I kept watching Shawn from afar. I started stalking him on Instagram, checking his stories. One day, I accidentally liked one of his posts, and soon after, I got a notification—Shawn had sent me a follow request! I was over the moon. I messaged him, but he must have gone offline because he didn't reply. I unsent the message. The next morning, I saw a "Hi" from Shawn. I was thrilled and replied immediately. We started chatting, but Shawn refused to believe I was the Amy from his school. To convince him, I sent a photo, and then he believed me. We began talking every day. At school, we didn't interact much, but as soon as we got home, we'd message each other first thing. Slowly, we started stealing glances at school. I noticed Shawn skipped school a lot, and on those days, I couldn't stop thinking about him.
Our friendship deepened. One day, I casually mentioned I had a crush on someone. Shawn insisted I tell him who, but I said it's a secret I'd share another day, scared that confessing might ruin our friendship if he didn't feel the same. Days passed, and I finally mustered the courage to confess my feelings. To my fear, Shawn said he liked someone else. My heart sank, but I told him, "That's okay, you don't have to love the person you like back." I was heartbroken. Then Shawn said, "Want to know who I like?" He sent me my own photo, saying, "This is who I like." I was shocked and overjoyed—my happiness knew no bounds. We were now in a relationship, talking daily, our love growing stronger. We learned more about each other, chatting endlessly, but we hadn't yet said "I love you" on a call. One day, Shawn teased, "Today, you have to say it." I countered, "No, you say it first; guys always do!" Shawn laughed, saying, "Our love story should be unique, so you say it." I gave in and said it, but Shawn didn't. I tried convincing him, but he didn't budge. As we talked, his friends showed up, and he had to leave. I pleaded, "Say it now!" And then Shawn said, "I love you, my darling." My heart raced.
One day, Shawn asked, "Do you like me or love me?" I couldn't answer then. Days went by, and exams approached. We decided to talk less and focus on studies, but we couldn't stay away from each other. We'd video call late into the night, not talking much, just gazing at each other for hours, never tiring of it. Our love kept growing. My pre-board exams and Shawn's finals were happening. Today was Shawn's last exam in the afternoon, while mine was in the morning. After my exam, I watched Shawn from a distance with Rachel. His friends left, but I noticed he was ignoring me. I didn't understand why. He went to his exam, and I went home, waiting for him to finish. I messaged him, but he didn't respond. A day passed, then another, with barely any proper conversation. I was crying, confused about what I'd done wrong. That night, we talked briefly, and Shawn explained he'd heard I was in a relationship with someone else. I was shocked—he thought I was with David, a good friend of mine. I clarified I wasn't with anyone else, and Shawn understood, but I was upset he didn't trust me. He apologized, saying he was confused and didn't know how to react. I forgave him because I loved him so much.
My board exams started. I studied but talked to Shawn in between. He'd say, "I'll wait, focus on studying." We'd talk at 11:30 PM, sometimes on mute video calls, just looking at each other. One day, we planned to meet, excited about our first meeting. But when we met, neither of us spoke much, each urging the other to say something. We sat far apart. I kept staring at Shawn, not knowing why. An hour passed quickly. When it was time to leave, Shawn gave me an adorable teddy bear. I said I'd keep it safe, and he joked, "Lock it in your cupboard!" We laughed, but then something terrifying happened—my brother Sam saw us. I explained to Sam, who understood and said, "Go back to Shawn." I was shocked but happy. As we parted, Shawn didn't want to leave. I offered my hand to help him up, but he hesitated for five seconds, upsetting me briefly. Then he took my hand, and we were both happy.
Our relationship was a secret, but some friends saw us together. The next day, school was abuzz with gossip. Shawn was on holiday, so I told him everything. He said, "Don't overthink, focus on your exams." He teased, "Why were you staring at me like that yesterday?" I replied, "I don't know when we'll meet again, so I was looking closely."