Some things stick to you.
Not loud things.
Not fireworks or grand gestures.
But soft things.
A voice asking, "Rough day?"
A warm drink pushed gently across the table.
Someone choosing to sit next to you without needing permission.
That was Souta Ren.
Yesterday.
I didn't expect it to matter this much.
I'd had worse days.
Worse insults.
Worse silences.
Kaori had been relentless. Mocking my shoes. Snapping her gum near my ear. Whispering things to Asami while pretending I didn't exist.
And then I found out I failed one tiny quiz in chemistry. Just one. But it was enough to make me feel like I was unraveling.
I walked into the café only because I needed somewhere quiet to break.
I didn't expect him to notice.
But he did.
He always does.
The first thing I noticed when he came over was how soft his voice sounded—like he wasn't trying to cheer me up. Just… sit with me. Like I was allowed to be sad.
He didn't ask what happened.
He didn't look impatient or awkward.
He just sat across from me, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
And I felt safe.
That's the word.
Not "excited."
Not "nervous."
Not "fluttering."
Safe.
I keep replaying the moment in my head now, walking slowly to school.
The way his hand hovered like he was going to reach for mine but didn't.
The way his mouth opened, like he was about to say something real but stopped.
The way his eyes looked at me, not with pity, but with something deeper.
I don't know what it was.
But I haven't stopped thinking about it.
I walk through the school gate. Head down. Usual routine.
Except something's different today.
I find myself glancing up. Looking for him.
I don't see him right away.
But when I do across the courtyard, surrounded by noise and people, my heart skips, just once.
He's smiling at something Itsuki said. Or pretending to. His eyes aren't really in it.
And then, for a second he looks my way.
Just a second.
I look away too fast.
But I feel it.
Something shifting.
Like maybe I'm not the only one who replays moments in their head.
In class, I can't concentrate.
My pen hovers above my notes.
Words blur.
All I can hear is yesterday's silence. His quiet comfort.
No one's ever done that for me before.
Not without asking for something in return.
And now, something is growing in my chest. Something unfamiliar.
Not love. Not yet.
But something dangerously close.
I'm scared of what it means.
Souta Ren is the kind of boy who could ruin me without trying.
Not because he's cruel.
But because he's kind.
Kindness is harder to protect yourself from.
Because once you feel it you crave more.
And when it's gone… it hurts worse than cruelty.
But then I remember how he looked at me.
And I wonder if he's scared too.
Today, I sat one row closer to his seat in class.
Just one.
And when he glanced my way, I didn't look down.
I didn't smile either.
But I didn't run.
I think that counts for something.