evo sta ti tfthkab uradi smh.....

nemam sta da kazem except that this part will be disappointing

she spotted him from the north hallway, raising her hand high in the air. he looked around, a bit lost, and she smiled, feeling warm in the face. she kept waving her hand in the air until he noticed her and his whole face lit up as he ran towards her. she bit her lip to stifle the laugh threatening to come out because, he did not need to look so happy to see her. it made her giddy.

and she spread her arms waiting for him to get to her, she waited so, so patiently, the whole weekend, for this hug.

and he got to her, slowing down before crashing into her, and that was such a small kind act, she thought. she wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his perfume, and were those cherries ? he smelled like cherries. she let out a breath, a grin on her face as she thought, he seemed like the kind of person for a lemon perfume. did that even exist ?

she felt his hands wrap around her too, gently and she felt him breathe out a long sigh.

"were you nervous ?", she asked, rubbing his back lightly.

"kind of", he mumbled into her shoulder, and she could feel him tracing different shapes with his fingertips on her back, "i mean god, who thought it was a good idea to have physics first period ?"

"can't argue with that", she nodded and relaxed her arms around him, letting him go. he let go too, although hesitant, and she felt his hand still lingering on her back, till he dropped it to his side. she glanced down at his hands and they seemed to be trembling again, and she reached for them but,

maybe,

maybe not in school, she thought.

maybe it would cause him anxiety, and maybe he didn't want to be seen like that, so she pulled her hand back to her side, clenching it in a fist.

he stared at her with a questioning look, his eyes darting from her eyes to her hands and a blush crept up her neck.

he leaned closer, "are your hands cold ?", he asked, reaching out for them.

maybe he didn't mind after all.

"a bit. i wanted to ask if you, uhm wanted to hold my hand though ?", she sped through the question and stared at him, waiting for a response. his eyebrows furrowed and he opened his mouth to say, or ask something, but his eyes widened then and he nodded hastily.
his reaction time seemed so slow and that made him more precious in her eyes, as if she had to protect him no matter what.

she knew he wouldn't want her to think of him that way so she dismissed the thought, keeping it at how precious he was, taking his offered hand and walking out the door.

"hm..  i'm gonna buy the muffins today, they should be on sale", he said as they entered the bakery. she nodded, "i think i will too", she said, squinting to see the other pastries.

a group of kids was also in the bakery with them, making their orders and as they got out, one of them pushed him by the shoulder and he stumbled back, losing balance, but she moved and he fell on her chest instead. the back of his head hit her shoulder and she felt his hand trembling in hers, gripping tighter and he scrambled off her and turned around, panic evident in his every feature.

she put her free hand on top of his hair, patting lightly.

"i'm so-", he started, but she interrupted him, "it's okay, you didn't hurt me", she whispered and she hoped, she hoped so bad that he didn't think he failed her because of this.

but his grip eased on her hand and she smiled, relieved.

"are you going to order or ?", the lady behind the counter asked and they both jumped, looking up at her, noticing her only now.

she rubbed her thumb over his knuckles, hoping this didn't scare him as she approached.

"sorry, two muffins please", she said, holding up two fingers, and the lady nodded, preparing them.

"how many for you ?", she leaned down to ask him.

"also two", he said, swinging their hands a bit.

"also two more but in a separated bag please", she added and the lady nodded.

"this cake looks.... so good" he whispered to her, his finger pointing to one that seemed to be with cherries. she nodded enthusiastically, making a mental note to ask him out to try it during the next weekend.

they paid and made their way back to school, their hands swinging in the air. it made her feel giddy, like a kid, for some reason.

she felt herself smile again, and that was all she seemed to do when around him, even though he didn't really do anything, but her smile dropped as he suddenly made a halt and turned to face her, his eyes wide. his mouth was open, trying to form words, but he didn't seem to get anything out, or at least she didn't hear him and she hugged him, unsure.

"what happened, what's wrong ?", she asked, her arms relaxed because he forgot to breathe in these situations and he didn't need someone suffocating him too.

"just, just, just a person i know", he said and she let out a breath, moving to look at him again, but he clutched her shirt with his free hand, burying his face in her shoulder.

"can i stay here for a second ?", he mumbled out and she nodded almost immediately, putting her arms back around him and rubbing his back.

"of course", she said.

because, of course he could. he didn't even have to ask, she would always let him hide like this, no matter where or when. she wouldn't be able to call herself his friend if she couldn't let him have this.

his shaky breathing on her neck and his tight grip on her shirt pained her, it made a lump rise in her throat. he didn't deserve this. he didn't deserve to be afraid of everyone and everything, of every word he said, of every move he made. he cared so much, too much about her, and she only gave him the bare minimum, but oh if he needed her to, she would beat someone up without hesitation, she would run to his house at 2am if he needed her to.  the lump in her throat got thicker and she moved back the tiniest bit to look down at him.

"want to get back in school ? i can hide you", she said and he laughed, and it sounded so genuine and relieved. she loved the sound. he nodded.

she let go of his hand and pulled his hood over his head. she put her arm around his shoulder, pulling him close and walking like that towards school. his head was down the whole time, and when they got to school, she took his hood off, putting his hands on his forearms.

she wanted to ask if he was okay, but she saw him smiling at her, glancing down at his feet. he looked flushed and shy and her heart seemed to swell at the sight.

"that was kind of fun", he said to her, and she nodded, taking his hand into her again.

why was giddiness bubbling up in her chest at the mere thought of the summer break with him ?

it was a new, weird sort of feeling. she liked it.