Chapter 3 – When Our Eyes Met
Sani muttered a small "bye" as she finished getting ready for school. She pulled her bag onto her shoulder and stepped out of her room. Jason was waiting in the hallway, arms crossed, looking guilty.
"I'm sorry, Sani. Please don't be mad anymore," he said quickly, giving her a lopsided smile. "Come on, let's go. We'll be late if we don't hurry."
Sani puffed her cheeks, pretending to still be annoyed. "Yeah, yeah." But she followed him anyway.
The early morning air was cool, and the streets buzzed with the sounds of students walking, bikes rattling, and shopkeepers opening their stores. Sani and Jason walked side by side, their shadows long under the rising sun.
Suddenly, Sani froze. Just ahead, she saw Sean crossing the road. His school uniform looked crisp, his hair slightly messy but in the perfect way that made her heart squeeze. In an instant, her heartbeat sped up—thump, thump, thump—so fast she thought Jason might hear it.
Sean looked up, and their eyes met. For a second, the world felt like it had slowed down. Then Sean's face lit up in a smile, and he raised his hand.
"Hey, Sani! Jason! Wait for me!" he called, jogging over.
Jason's grin widened immediately. "Ohooo, look at that, Sani. Sean's here! What timing!" He elbowed her playfully. "Woo, bro, let's all go together!"
Sani's face heated. She wanted to say something, but her words got stuck in her throat.
Sean reached them, a little out of breath but smiling as brightly as ever. "Hi. How are you, Piggy?" he teased, his tone light and familiar.
Sani's mind blanked. Woo… Sean is so cute, she thought, her cheeks burning. She kept replaying his smile in her head.
Jason leaned closer and whispered, "Sani? Sani! What's wrong with you?"
"H-huh? Nothing!" she stammered. Then she quickly added, "Oh, um… hello, Sean."
Sean chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling. "Let's walk together."
Sani nodded, clutching the strap of her bag tightly. "O-okay."
Jason threw his hands up dramatically. "Then let's gooo!"
The three of them walked the rest of the way to school, chatting casually—well, Jason and Sean did most of the talking. Sani just listened, sneaking glances at Sean every few seconds. She noticed how the sunlight caught in his hair, how his laugh made her chest feel light, and how just being near him made everything around her brighter.
When they finally reached school, Sani slipped into her seat. But she couldn't focus on her books at all; her thoughts kept circling around Sean.
"Good morning, Sani!" a voice chirped. Jiwoo and Haneul, her closest friends, had come over to her desk.
"Oh, hey. Good morning," Sani replied quickly, trying to act normal.
Jiwoo leaned in, smirking. "Soo… I saw you coming to school together."
Haneul nodded, grinning. "Yeah! I know you and Jason live near each other, but how do you know Sean too?"
Sani's cheeks flared red. "Uh… Jason introduced us."
Jiwoo clasped her hands together dramatically. "You're so lucky! Jason is smart, and Sean is handsome. Plus, Sean looks kinda rich, don't you think?"
"What? Jason isn't handsome!" Sani laughed nervously. "Are you blind, Jiwoo? Sean is the really handsome one!"
"Wow, wow," Haneul teased, shaking her head. "Calling Jason not handsome? Poor guy."
Jiwoo pouted. "No way! Jason is more handsome."
Haneul quickly argued back, "No, Sean is way more handsome!"
The two of them turned to Sani. "Tell us, Sani, who's more handsome?!"
Sani bit her lip, her hands fidgeting on the desk. She hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Um… okay, fine. I think Sean is more handsome than Jason."
Jiwoo gasped dramatically. "Whyyy?!"
"Stop it, both of you," Sani said quickly, noticing their teacher walking in. "The teacher's coming!"
"Fine, fine," Jiwoo sighed, sitting back. "We'll talk later."
As class went on, Sani stared down at her notes, but her mind wasn't on the lessons at all. She couldn't stop replaying that moment when Sean waved at her across the street. When our eyes met… why did it feel so special?
The bell finally rang, and students hurried out. Jason waved at her from the hallway. "Hey, you three! Let's eat together!"
"Yeah, let's go," Sean added, his smile making Sani's heart flutter all over again.
Sani pressed a hand against her chest, hoping no one would notice how red her cheeks were. Sean is coming too…
She nodded quickly, her voice barely steady. "okay...