Chapter 3
For the rest of the morning, I sat through classes like a ghost drifting through rooms. Teachers spoke, students whispered, pages turned — but none of it reached me.
All I could think about was the hallway.
His voice.
His eyes.
The way Aiden said my name like it wasn't something forgettable.
"Liana."
Every time I replayed it, my heart fluttered in a way I didn't understand.
I told myself I was being dramatic. People didn't suddenly start noticing invisible girls. Especially not people like him. But my mind refused to let the moment fade.
I stared at the bookmark he returned to me earlier — the one with a tiny star I had drawn. I never thought anyone would pick it up, much less keep it long enough to return it.
Why had he bothered?
A quiet tap landed on my desk, snapping me out of my thoughts.
The teacher placed a worksheet in front of me and moved on. I forced myself to focus, but my brain was still tangled in that warm, confusing memory.
Across the room, Brianna sat with her arms crossed, her face resting on one hand. She wasn't pretending to work. She was staring directly at me.
Or rather, through me.
Like she was trying to answer the same question I was:
Why did Aiden stop for me?
Her glare tightened, but I quickly looked away. I had no interest in becoming part of her world. And yet, here I was, standing on the edge of it without meaning to.
---
When the bell rang, I gathered my things quickly. I wanted space. Fresh air. Silence. Anything to calm the strange flutter in my chest.
But as soon as I walked out the classroom door, I froze.
Aiden was there.
Not surrounded by anyone.
Not laughing.
Not distracted.
Just standing calmly against the wall with one hand in his pocket — like he was waiting for something.
Or someone.
His eyes lifted the moment I stepped out.
"There you are," he said with a small smile.
My breath stumbled. "You… were waiting?"
He shrugged lightly, the motion casual but his eyes too focused to be meaningless. "You left fast earlier."
I tightened my grip on my books. "I didn't want to be late."
"You walk like you're trying not to be noticed," he said softly. "It makes it hard to catch up."
Embarrassment warmed my face. "I'm… used to keeping to myself."
"I figured." He pushed off the wall and moved closer, careful not to crowd me. "But you dropped this."
He held out a small paper slip. A folded note?
My heart skipped.
I opened it slowly.
Inside was my bookmark — the same tiny star doodle. But underneath, in neat handwriting, was a single line:
Don't fade. I see you.
I stared at the words, unable to speak.
Aiden shifted, rubbing the back of his neck like he wasn't sure how I'd react. "I didn't mean anything weird. It just felt like… maybe no one says that to you."
"No one does," I whispered.
His eyes met mine again — steady, warm, quietly intense. "Well, I'm saying it."
A wave of something unfamiliar washed through me. Something soft but strong. A feeling that made my pulse race and my chest tighten in a good way.
Then, before either of us could say another word, the hallway exploded with noise again. Students poured out of classrooms, filling the space around us in a rush.
But Aiden didn't move away.
He leaned closer — not enough for anyone to notice, but enough for me to hear him clearly.
"I'll see you later, Liana."
He walked away just as Brianna approached, her eyes narrowing the moment she spotted the note in my hand. She didn't say anything — not yet. But her silent promise was sharp as a knife.
Still… for the first time, I didn't look down.
I didn't shrink back.
Because someone finally saw me.
And that changed everything.
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