"Wait—"
Her shoe slid against the polished floor.
It wasn't dramatic. It wasn't sudden. It was just enough to throw her balance off.
She gasped, arms flailing slightly as her notebook slipped from her fingers and hit the ground with a soft thud.
The boy reacted before his brain could catch up.
He stepped forward and caught her by the waist.
"Hey—!"
Her breath left her in a sharp inhale as she stumbled straight into him.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
His hand was still wrapped around her waist.
Her hands were pressed flat against his chest, fingers curling into his shirt unconsciously.
Their faces were close. Too close.
"I—" she started, then stopped.
He swallowed.
"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.
She nodded, a little too fast. "Y-Yeah. I just… slipped."
His grip loosened immediately, like he'd just realized what he was doing.
"Oh—sorry," he said quickly, stepping back. "I didn't mean to—"
"No, it's fine," she rushed. "You were just helping."
Their cheeks burned.
She adjusted her glasses, even though they didn't need adjusting.
The corridor felt unbearably silent.
"I'm really clumsy today," she said with a nervous laugh.
He smiled before he could stop himself.
It was small. Soft. Barely there.
But she noticed.
Her heart skipped.
"You smiled," she blurted out.
He blinked. "What?"
"You—you don't usually," she said, then immediately regretted opening her mouth. "I mean—ignore that."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to."
She laughed again, too high-pitched this time.
Silence crept back in.
The kind that made every breath feel loud.
She took a step back.
"I should probably—"
Her heel caught again.
"Oh—!"
She tried to steady herself, panic flashing across her face.
The boy reached out instinctively.
"I've got you—"
But this time, she twisted away.
"I'm okay—!"
She wasn't.
Her foot slid forward.
Her body tipped back.
"Wait—!"
He grabbed her again—
And this time, they both lost balance.
The fall happened too fast to stop.
He hit the floor first, a surprised grunt leaving his chest as the impact knocked the air out of him.
"Oof—!"
She landed on top of him.
Harder than before.
Her hands flew to his shoulders to steady herself.
Their faces were suddenly inches apart.
Their breathing was loud.
Uneven.
Her glasses slipped down her nose.
His tie shifted, undone and loose around his neck.
They stared at each other.
Frozen.
His hand was still on her waist.
Her knee was resting against his side.
She could feel his heartbeat through his shirt.
Fast.
Too fast.
"I—" he started.
She shifted, trying to push herself up—
And slipped again.
This time, there was no space to stop it.
Their lips met.
Not a brush.
Not a graze.
A real, unmistakable kiss.
Soft.
Clumsy.
Still.
Time stopped.
Her eyes widened.
His breath hitched.
Neither of them pulled away.
Neither of them moved.
For a heartbeat—
Two—
Three—
The world didn't exist.
All there was—
Warmth.
Contact.
The realization crashed in all at once.
Her hands trembled.
She pulled back sharply.
"Oh my god," she whispered.
His eyes were wide.
"I—I'm sorry," he said immediately, sitting up too fast. "I didn't mean to—"
"No, it's—it's okay," she said quickly, scrambling backward. "I slipped again. It was just—"
An accident.
They both knew that's what it was supposed to be.
But neither of them believed it.
She pressed a hand to her mouth, her entire face burning.
He stood up quickly, offering a hand without thinking.
She hesitated.
Then took it.
The moment his fingers wrapped around hers, both of them stiffened.
She pulled her hand away almost instantly.
"I'm really sorry," she said, not meeting his eyes.
"For what?" he asked softly.
"For… everything."
Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Voices.
Laughter.
Students returning from the grounds.
Reality snapped back into place.
Her eyes widened.
"They're coming," she said breathlessly.
He turned toward the sound, then back to her.
"Yeah."
She stepped back.
Then another step.
"I—I should go," she said quickly.
"Wait," he said before he could stop himself.
She paused.
He didn't know what to say.
There were too many words and none at all.
"I just—" he started, then stopped.
Her gaze flicked up to his face.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then—
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
And she turned and ran.
Not fast.
But fast enough.
He stood there, watching her disappear around the corner.
His chest felt tight.
His lips still tingled.
"What just happened?" he whispered to himself.
She didn't stop until she reached the washroom.
She locked herself into a stall and slid down against the door.
Her hands flew to her face.
"Oh my god," she whispered again.
Her heart was racing.
Her lips still felt warm.
That wasn't just a slip.
She hugged her knees to her chest.
That was a kiss.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She ignored it.
The boy sat down on the steps near the corridor, staring at the floor.
His friend appeared a moment later.
"Dude, where did you—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
"…Why do you look like that?"
The boy ran a hand through his hair.
"I fell," he said.
His friend blinked. "You what?"
"Long story."
His friend smirked. "You look like someone who just lived through a very interesting one."
The boy didn't reply.
He couldn't stop thinking about it.
The fall.
The closeness.
The kiss.
Nothing felt the same anymore.
That evening, neither of them could focus.
The girl lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
Her phone buzzed again.
Friend: You disappeared today. What happened?
She typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Girl: I tripped.
Friend: …Just tripped?
She stared at the screen.
Girl: Yeah.
Three dots appeared.
Friend: You're lying.
She locked her phone.
Across town, the boy lay awake, staring at the wall.
His phone buzzed too.
Friend: So? What really happened?
He exhaled slowly.
Boy: I don't know.
Friend: That bad?
Boy: That confusing.
He put the phone down.
His mind replayed the moment again and again.
Nothing would ever feel the same again.
And somewhere else, staring at the same dark ceiling, the girl knew it too.