Curious Hearts

Chapter 9

In the afternoon, a week after the surprise party, Ain found herself lingering outside the art room. She had heard from one of Jay's friends that he was there, sketching during his free period. Without thinking too much, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Jay was seated by the window. His head was bent low over a sketchpad, his pencil moving with quiet determination.

Ain stood still for a moment, watching him. She realized she had never seen him look so relaxed, so... himself.

"Ain? What are you doing here?"

"I was just... looking for you. Thought I'd see what you were up to."

"Well, as you can see, not much. Just... drawing."

"Can I see?"

Jay gives the sketchpad toward her. Ain carefully took it, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked at the page. It was a sketch of the school's courtyard. But, it was filled with so much detail and life. The trees seemed to sway with a breeze, the benches were drawn with such precision and in the center of it all... was a figure that looked a lot like her.

"Is that... me?"

"I was just... I don't know, inspired. I see you sitting there sometimes, with that thoughtful look on your face. I thought it might make a good sketch."

Ain felt her cheeks heat up, but she couldn't help the smile that spread across her face.

"It's beautiful, Jay. You're really talented."

"Thanks. I guess... I wanted to capture something real, something that feels... important."

"Important?"

"Yes. You've become... important to me, Ain. I mean, I know we haven't known each other for that long, but.. I feel like we've already shared so much."

"I feel the same way, Jay. It's like... we just clicked, you know?"

"Yeah... like we were meant to meet, somehow."

Ain's heart swelled at his words. She had been feeling the same thing. And now, hearing Jay say it out loud made it feel even more real.

"Jay.. I just wanted to say.. thank you. For everything. The birthday surprise, the sketch... all of it. You've made me feel so welcome here, and I'm really grateful."

"I'm glad, Ain. You deserve to feel happy. I... I like making you smile."

Ain felt her heart flutter again.

"You're doing a good job of it."

"Thank you, Ain."

Ain felt a wave of clarity wash over her, a realization she hadn't been fully aware of until now. She liked Jay—a lot. More than she had realized. And she had a feeling he felt the same.

Before she could overthink it, Ain reached out and gently touched Jay's arm.

"Hey, would you... would you want to go somewhere after school? Maybe grab a coffee or something?"

"Yeah, I'd like that. I'd like that a lot."

"Great. It's a date, then."

Jay smile nonstop.

"It's a date.."