The Moon Shines when the Sun Isn't Around

Chapter 2

The classroom buzzed with the usual mix of chatter and the low hum of the teacher's voice, droning on about something Oreo wasn't paying attention to. Her focus was elsewhere. Sitting two rows ahead of her, King was flipping through his notes, his usual casual demeanor in place. He leaned back in his chair, occasionally nodding his head as if he were absorbing the lesson, but Oreo knew him better. His mind was probably wandering just as much as hers was.

Oreo couldn't help herself. Her gaze kept drifting to King. There was something about him today, something different. His presence felt heavier, more magnetic, like every time she glanced his way, the pull to look again grew stronger. And then it happened.

He caught her.

Their eyes locked.

It wasn't just a glance, not like the usual fleeting looks they exchanged across the classroom. This time, it lingered. His dark eyes held hers in a way that made her stomach flip, her heart race. Oreo felt heat rush to her cheeks, and she could feel the telltale signs of a blush creeping up her face. She cursed silently to herself. *Not now.*

She broke eye contact quickly, looking down at her desk, trying to focus on anything but the fact that she'd just been caught staring. She needed a distraction—something, anything to take the attention off her flaming cheeks. And then she had an idea.

Snacks.

Oreo leaned over in her seat, barely glancing at King as she whispered, "Hey, you got any snacks?"

King, still holding the smirk from catching her earlier, didn't miss a beat. Without saying a word, he pulled a small bag of chocolates out of his backpack and slid it across his desk toward her. He didn't say anything about the way she was avoiding his gaze, but inside, his mind was racing. *She's blushing. Why is she blushing? Was she... staring at me?*

He kept his cool, but he couldn't deny the way his heart had skipped a beat when their eyes met. There was something about Oreo today—something different, something he hadn't noticed before. Or maybe it had always been there, just buried beneath their usual banter and snacks. Whatever it was, it had him feeling off-kilter, but in a good way.

Oreo snatched the bag of chocolates, trying to focus on tearing it open rather than the way her face was burning. She stuffed a piece of chocolate into her mouth quickly, hoping the motion would somehow distract both of them from what had just happened. But it didn't work. She could still feel King's eyes on her, the weight of his gaze lingering even as she avoided looking directly at him.

"Thanks," she mumbled, her voice quieter than usual. She was usually so good at keeping things casual, at playing it cool. But today... something felt different.

King just grinned, leaning back in his chair as he popped a piece of candy into his own mouth. He didn't say anything about her sudden shyness, but inside, he was definitely taking note. *She's flustered. Interesting.*

The class dragged on, the teacher oblivious to the silent exchange happening in the back of the room. Oreo continued nibbling on the chocolates, trying to keep herself occupied, but it wasn't long before King did something that caught her completely off guard.

He reached into the bag of chocolates, grabbed one, and then—without a word—held it out to her, offering it as if he were about to feed it to her directly.

Oreo blinked, taken aback. "Uh, what are you doing?" she asked, her voice low but with a hint of laughter behind it.

King's grin widened. "Feeding you. What, you don't want it?"

She hesitated, her heart racing again. This was... new. Flirty. And it made her feel warm in a way that wasn't just from embarrassment. She could see the challenge in his eyes, the playful glint that always accompanied his teasing. Normally, she would've batted it away, made some smart-ass comment to deflect. But today... today she couldn't bring herself to do that.