Curious Hearts

Chapter 14

As she walked into the classroom that morning, her heart skipped a beat when she saw Jay already seated at his desk, scribbling something in his notebook.

"Morning, Ain."

"Morning, Jay. Did you finish the homework for literature?"

"Yeah, but I'm not sure I got it all right. Want to compare answers?"

As they pulled out their notes and began discussing the assignment, Ain found herself stealing glances at Jay. She noticed little things she hadn't paid attention to before—they way his hair fell over his forehead.

She couldn't deny it any longer. Her feelings for Jay is so strong. The realization made her feel both excited and nervous. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if their friendship became awkward because of it?

By lunchtime, she couldn't concentrate on anything. She needed to clear her head. She grabbed her lunch and headed back to the empty classroom, hoping for a moment of peace.

But when she pushed open the door, she found that the classroom wasn't empty. Jay was there, leaning against the windowsill, looking out at the school courtyard.

"Ain? What are you doing here??"

Ain blinked, holding up her lunch as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"I.. needed some quiet."

"Yeah, me too."

They sat in silence for a moment. She could feel the tension in the air, unspoken words between them.

"Ain, I've been thinking.."

Ain looked at Jay and her heart pounding.

"About what?"

"About.. us. About how things have changed since we met."

"What.. do you mean?"

"I mean.. we've gotten closer, haven't we? And not just as friends. At least, that's how I feel."

She had been so worried about her own feelings that she hadn't considered that Jay might feel the same way.

"You.. you do?"

"Yeah.. I've been thinking about it for a while now and after this weekend.. I couldn't stop thinking about you, Ain. You're always on my mind."

Ain blushing and she had never imagined that Jay feel the same way too.

"I feel the same way, Jay. I've been thinking about you, too. And.. I like you. More than just a friend."

Ain waited, her heart racing and wondering how Jay would react.

Jay let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and then a smile spread across his face.

"I'm so glad you said that. I was afraid I might have ruined everything by bringing it up."

Ain shook her head.

"No, you didn't ruin anything. I'm glad you brought it up. I've been so nervous about saying something.. I didn't want to make things weird between us."

Jay stepped closer, his hand reaching out to gently take hers.

"Things don't have to be weird. We can figure this out together. There's no rush."

Ain looked at their hands touched and her heart fluttering.