Evan's heart jittered as he walked through the familiar halls of Templeton Secondary School. Today was the day—the day he had resolved to confess his feelings to Suki. He couldn't quell the rush of anxiety surging within him, making it difficult to focus on anything else.
As he approached his locker, Evan attempted to hide the turmoil he felt inside. His fingers trembled as he fumbled to unlock the locker and retrieve his textbooks for the morning classes. He hoped against hope that Suki wouldn't arrive early, giving him some much-needed time to gather the courage for the impending confession. Avoiding her until then seemed like the best course of action, at least for the morning.
Thankfully, luck was on Evan's side as Suki didn't appear. This stroke of fortune granted him a precious window of opportunity to muster the necessary resolve. He knew he needed the entire morning to calm down and collect himself.
While initially, he bemoaned the fact that he could not share any classes with Suki this year, for once he actually felt grateful that they didn't attend the same classes. It was ironic to him; he had a massive crush on her, and he longed to see her, but at the same time, he dreaded it because he couldn't contain his emotions. It was all too much for him—the blistering intensity of these unfamiliar feelings he had never experienced before. It was all new, uncharted territory, and that alone made Evan afraid.
During the morning classes, Evan couldn't focus. He merely half-listened to the droning lessons of his teachers, but what truly consumed him was the clock on the wall. Every agonizing second, every excruciating minute, seemed to crawl by. He internalized each tick and tock, the sound echoing within him, amplifying his restlessness.
At times, the wait felt too short, teasingly brief. Yet, at others, it stretched torturously long, testing his patience. He oscillated between these states of impatience and patience until finally, the lunch bell rang, and he was granted the freedom to leave.
Evan walked to the cafeteria at an intentionally slow pace, fully aware that Suki would likely be there. Other students hurried past him, eager to find a spot to eat—some settling on the floor in groups in the hallways near their lockers, while others gathered in cliques around tables in the cafeteria, and a few opted to sit outside and enjoy the warm weather. In contrast, Evan moved at a snail's pace, his gaze fixed on his shoes, and his thumbs twiddling nervously.
Evan paused at the cafeteria door, peering through the window for a glimpse inside. There, he saw Suki, comfortably seated among her group of friends, engrossed in their conversations. His hand trembled slightly as he mustered the courage to open the door. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he stepped inside, adopting what he hoped was a confident stride, and made a beeline straight for Suki.
As Evan drew closer to Suki and her group of friends, the sound of their laughter and animated conversation gradually reached his ears. They seemed to be discussing something lighthearted and amusing, like finding the Norse gods handsome, with someone playfully calling Thor a total "himbo"—a notion that elicited a suppressed chuckle from Evan. He noticed one of Suki's friends passing around a photo of shirtless gods, admiring their chiseled six-pack abs and jokingly remarking that some of the gods seemed to have a whole bakery behind them. Despite the humour, Evan's focus shifted away from eavesdropping, as their playful banter held little significance to him in that moment. His attention was solely fixed on his target—Suki—and with determined steps, he approached her from behind.
Evan's heart lurched with excitement and nervous anticipation as he mustered the courage to speak to her. With a hand trembling slightly, he placed it gently on her shoulder, feeling the flutter of butterflies in his stomach. "Suki?" he called out softly.
Suki turned around, and Evan found himself captivated by her dark eyes and long lashes that danced like delicate tendrils in a gentle breeze. "Hey, Evan," she replied, her voice as light as a wind through a meadow, always carrying an air of delicateness.
