Chapter 7
The afternoon sun filtered through the classroom windows, painting the walls in soft golden streaks. Liana tried to focus on the lecture, scribbling notes mechanically, but her mind wandered again to Aiden. The conversation at lunch replayed endlessly in her head—his smile, the quiet warmth of his voice, the way he seemed to notice her in a way no one else ever had.
She told herself she was imagining things, but deep down, she knew she wasn't. There was something different about him. Something real.
When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Liana packed her things slowly, trying to stall for just a few more moments in the empty room. She wanted time to think, to process the whirlwind of feelings that had been building since yesterday.
The moment she stepped into the hallway, she felt it again—Aiden's presence. He was standing near the lockers, casually leaning with one foot against the wall, his hands stuffed in his pockets. But the casual stance didn't hide the way his eyes searched for her.
Her heart raced, and she found herself walking toward him almost automatically.
"Hey," he said, smiling just enough to make her stomach flutter.
"Hi," she replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"You okay?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "You seem… thoughtful."
Liana bit her lip, unsure how much to reveal. "I'm… fine. Just thinking."
Aiden nodded, but he didn't press. Instead, he offered her a small, knowing smile. "Good. I like when you think. It suits you."
The words made her cheeks warm. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Not seriously. Not sincerely.
Before she could respond, Brianna appeared from around the corner. Her eyes locked on Liana with an intensity that made Liana instinctively straighten, ready for confrontation. Brianna's presence was always a reminder of the social hierarchy at school, a subtle warning that some places weren't meant for people like her.
Aiden noticed her too, but instead of shrinking back, he simply leaned slightly closer to Liana, his presence shielding her without any effort. "Ready to go?" he asked softly, nodding toward the exit.
Liana swallowed, trying to steady her racing heart. "Yes," she said.
As they walked side by side, the tension from Brianna's stare didn't bother her as much as it usually would. With Aiden beside her, the world seemed to shift subtly, bending just enough to make her feel like she belonged, even if only for a moment.
They didn't talk much at first, letting the quiet stretch comfortably between them. Liana's mind was buzzing with questions she wasn't ready to ask, thoughts about why someone like Aiden would notice her, or what it all meant.
Finally, Aiden broke the silence. "Do you… want to come by my place this weekend? My parents won't be home, and we could watch movies or just hang out. Just the two of us."
Liana's heart skipped a beat. The invitation was casual, yet intimate in a way that made her feel both nervous and exhilarated. "I… I'd like that," she whispered, unable to hide the small smile that spread across her face.
"Great," he said, his eyes lighting up in a way that made her feel like she'd just been given a secret gift.
The rest of the walk passed in a comfortable rhythm. They spoke softly about school, about small, ordinary things—things that would have been mundane with anyone else, but felt extraordinary with him.
By the time they reached her front gate, Liana felt lighter than she had in months. Her chest still fluttered, but it was a good kind of flutter, one that spoke of possibilities, of moments waiting to happen, and of something that was slowly growing between them.
When Aiden finally turned to leave, he gave her a small, almost shy smile. "See you tomorrow, Liana."
"See you tomorrow," she replied, her voice steady, her heart soaring.
As she watched him disappear down the street, she realized just how much her world had changed in less than a week. For the first time in a long time, she didn't feel invisible. Not completely.
Aiden had seen her. And that was enough to make her believe that maybe… everything could be different.
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