The art room was calm. Too calm.
Sunlight filtered through the windows, turning the floorboards golden. Outside, students ran laps or hung out in clusters, but inside, it was just Eli and Lila at the back table. A few brushes sat scattered between them, forgotten.
Eli was sketching.
Lila… wasn't.
She was sitting upright, her hands resting in her lap, eyes darting toward him every few seconds. Her cheeks were a soft pink. The kind of blush that looked like she'd walked into a hot spring with the wrong uniform on.
He looked up from his sketchbook and blinked.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah!" she squeaked, a bit too fast. "I mean, yes. I'm fine. Totally fine. I was just, uh, thinking about shading. And light sources. And not kissing!"
Eli blinked. "Kissing?"
Her face turned red. "I mean... uh... I wasn't thinking about that. At all."
Now he was confused.
Then she stood up so quickly she knocked over a cup of pencils. "Oh no! I'll clean that!" she said, rushing to pick them up like her life depended on it.
Eli crouched to help her. Their hands brushed.
She looked at him.
He looked at her.
And then without warning, Lila leaned forward and kissed him.
Right on the lips.
It lasted barely two seconds, but the entire world seemed to slow down.
Her lips were soft, and her hands were shaking. She pulled back so fast she nearly tripped over her own foot.
Her face lit up like a strawberry. She clutched her hands over her chest and backed away in short, nervous steps.
"I.. uh.. I'm sorry! I don't know what came over me! I wasn't planning that. I just... You were... And I... Aaaaaahhh!"
And with that, she turned and bolted out of the room like a startled deer.
Eli sat frozen, eyes wide, mouth slightly open.
That just happened.
Then, from behind the art supply shelf, came a very familiar voice.
"...I KNEW IT!"
Jay popped up like a raccoon from a trash bin, clutching his phone and looking like he'd just won the lottery.
Eli jumped. "You were hiding again?!"
Jay practically danced his way over. "Hiding? No. Observing. Documenting! Witnessing a sacred rite of passage!"
"I'm gonna kill you," Eli muttered.
Jay placed a hand dramatically over his heart. "You grow up so fast, bro. First you charm her with art, then boom! Bonus scene unlocked. It's like I'm living in a romance anime."
Eli covered his face. "Please stop talking."
Jay leaned in closer. "She went full-on blush explosion. I thought her head was gonna steam like a rice cooker."
"Jay..."
"I was THIS close to snapping a picture," he said, holding his fingers millimeters apart, "but I was crying too hard that I couldn't."
Eli groaned.
Jay flopped into a chair like a man defeated by emotion. "You, my friend, have officially entered Phase Two."
"What does that even mean?"
Jay grinned. "The girls are starting to act on their feelings. It's a chain reaction. Soon, you'll have love confessions under cherry blossom trees, dramatic rival showdowns, and at least one girl falling on top of you in gym class."
"Jay."
"Just promise me one thing."
Eli raised an eyebrow.
"If Mia kisses you next, can I film it? I'll keep it tasteful. Cinematic angles."
"I hate you."
Jay chuckled. "You love me. Now let's go before you get kissed again and I miss it."
Eli didn't say a word for the next twenty minutes.
He just walked the hall like a ghost while Jay narrated every step like a sports commentator.
"And here we see our hero, Eli emotionally stunned, wandering the battlefield of adolescence…"
"Jay."
"…his lips still trembling from unexpected affection…"
"Jay."
"…and yet, deep in his soul, he knows this is just the beginning. Many more confessions and maybe, just maybe kisses."
Eli turned and shoved a locker door closed. "You done?"
Jay rubbed his chin. "Maybe. Unless Lila shows up again. Then I'm grabbing popcorn."
At lunch, Lila wasn't at their usual table.
Brooke raised an eyebrow. "Where's sparkles?"
Jay tried to speak, but Eli gave him a look that screamed don't you dare.
Brooke tilted her head. "Something happen?"
Jay chewed his food slowly and dramatically. "Let's just say someone got a taste of romance in an unexpected way."
Eli kicked his shin under the table.
Mia looked between them, her gaze narrowing.
"You two are hiding something."
Jay wanted to speak, but one look at Eli and he knew better.
Emma arrived last, slipping into her seat with a raised brow. "Why does it feel like I missed something?"
Jay opened his mouth. Eli spoke quickly. "Nothing."
Emma arched an eyebrow, but let it go.
Brooke looked suspicious. Mia looked thoughtful. And Jay?
Jay just looked too pleased with himself.
Later, Eli found Lila hiding behind the school greenhouse.
She was crouched by the wall, hugging her knees.
"Lila?"
She looked up, then looked away quickly, cheeks red again. "I'm sorry."
"You don't have to apologize."
"I shouldn't have done that."
Eli knelt beside her. "It's okay."
She shook her head. "No it's not. I messed everything up. Everyone's going to think I'm desperate or pushy or—"
"Lila."
She glanced at him.
"I don't think that."
She bit her lip. "Then what do you think?"
Eli paused. "I think it surprised me. But I'm not upset. Just… confused. About a lot of things."
Lila let out a tiny laugh. "Me too."
They sat there for a while in silence.
Then she mumbled, "I didn't mean to run off."
"I didn't mean to sit there like a statue."
She smiled.
He did too.
Jay was waiting near the vending machines when Eli returned.
He handed him a drink and raised his brows. "So?"
Eli took a sip. "She's okay."
Jay leaned against the wall. "You're in deep now, man."
Eli sighed. "Tell me something I don't know."
Jay grinned. "You better start planning how you're gonna survive Valentine's Day next year."
Eli nearly choked again. "Jay!"