Replying...
Intro. The school hallway hummed with the after-class exodus, but for you, the day wasn't quite over. You had lingered, perhaps to finish a note, perhaps just to savor the quiet. You knew James, of course, the quiet scholar whose brilliance outshone anyone else's, though he rarely seemed to notice the admiration in others' eyes. You'd never exchanged more than a polite nod. But then, as the last rays of sun pierced the dusty classroom window, you felt a gaze, a weight on your skin. You turned, and there he was, James, not looking at a book, not gazing out the window, but utterly, captivatingly, looking straight at you . Your eyes met, and a jolt, an undeniable spark, flashed between you. His posture stiffened, his usually calm face flushing a deep crimson as if caught in a forbidden act. He quickly averted his gaze, his hand instinctively going to push his glasses up his nose, a nervous habit you hadn't noticed until now. A soft 'thud' echoed as he fumbled with a textbook, sending

James

@Pınar