"Some people get their chance.I got almosts.Almost held her hand. Almost told her.Almost mattered."
1. Aira's POV – The Boy She Forgot
Aira didn't notice him at first.
Not in the way that mattered.
Sure, she'd seen him in class—always in the corner, always with a pencil in his hand and a look in his eyes like he was watching something no one else could see. But he wasn't loud. Wasn't funny. Wasn't Lucas.
But that day, when she borrowed his math notes, something felt... different.
His handwriting was careful, like every number was written with love. Neater than anyone else's. His notes weren't just numbers—they were explanations, thoughts, scribbles in the margins that made her smile.
She meant to return it.
She really did.
2. Ethan's POV – Sitting Beside Her (for Once)
The math teacher changed the seating chart.
Just like that, she was next to him.
"Looks like you're stuck with me, Gray," she whispered with a grin.
He nodded, too afraid to speak. Her perfume—vanilla and something citrus—wrapped around his lungs and made it hard to breathe.
She doodled hearts in the margins of her notebook. He pretended not to notice that one of them had an E in the center.
Was it for him?
No. Of course not.
But still, he memorized the shape of her lowercase e.
3. After-School Tutoring – An Excuse to Be Near Her
Aira started asking him for help after school.
She could've asked Lucas. But she chose Ethan.
They sat in the empty library while the sunset painted gold across the windows. She asked about polynomials. He talked about them like they were poetry.
"Why don't you talk like this in class?" she asked once, smiling.
"Because you never looked at me before now," he wanted to say.
But he just shrugged.
4. The Almost Confession
One afternoon, it rained hard—thunder cracking like heartbreak.
They were both trapped beneath the school's front awning.
She shivered, and he offered her his hoodie.
"Thanks," she said, slipping it on. It swallowed her, and for a moment, she was his.
His hoodie. His heartbeat. His girl.
"I like talking to you, Ethan," she said softly, looking out at the rain.
He looked at her. Really looked.
She was so close.
Say it now.
Tell her.
"Lucas is picking me up," she said quickly. "Sorry, I thought he wouldn't come."
And just like that, she was gone.
She didn't see his mouth half open, or the words he swallowed back down.
He didn't need to say them.
Not anymore.
5. Lucas Notices
The next day, Lucas cornered Ethan in the hallway.
"She talks to you a lot," Lucas said, voice low, almost amused. "Don't get confused, Gray. You're just her tutor. That's all you'll ever be."
Ethan didn't say anything.
He just nodded.
Because Lucas was right.
6. Journal Entry
October 19th, 10:16 PMI almost told her today.But "almost" is a dirty word.It's the lie we tell ourselves to keep breathing.
She wore my hoodie all day.I wonder if she knew it still smelled like me.I wonder if she cared.