📖 CHAPTER ONE — The Boy With the Golden Smile
1499 Words
📖 CHAPTER ONE — The Boy With the Golden Smile
Amani couldn’t stop replaying the moment under the acacia tree — Brian Black’s smile, the way he looked at her like she wasn’t invisible, the warmth that lingered in her chest long after he walked her back to class. It followed her like a shadow, soft and glowing, making her steps lighter than usual.
She knew she shouldn’t think about it too much. One smile didn’t mean anything. One conversation didn’t make her special. But still… it felt different. It felt real.
The rest of the school day passed in a blur. Teachers introduced themselves, rules were explained, timetables handed out. But Amani remembered none of it — not with Brian sitting just inches away, occasionally glancing back at her with that calm, confident ease that made her pulse jump every time.
When the final bell rang, students rushed through the door in noisy excitement. Amani stayed seated for a moment, letting the room clear out before she packed her books. Crowds always overwhelmed her; she preferred to wait.
She didn’t realize Brian was still inside until his shadow fell over her desk.
“You walk home, right?” he asked, leaning lightly on the back of her chair.
Her heart fluttered. “Uh… yes.”
His smile widened. “Let me walk with you.”
Amani blinked. “You? Walk… with me?”
“Why not?” he chuckled. “I don’t bite.”
She swallowed, remembering the same words he used earlier. For a moment she thought about refusing — not because she didn’t want to, but because she didn’t understand why him, why her, why this.
But the hope in his eyes was undeniable.
“Okay,” she whispered.
Brian slid her bag off the desk and handed it to her, as if he had done it a hundred times. “Come on.”
As they stepped out of the classroom, Amani noticed several girls whispering, some even glaring. She ignored it… or tried to. She wasn’t used to people looking at her, let alone because of a boy like Brian.
They walked side by side through the school gates, the afternoon sun casting warm shadows on the ground. The path home wasn’t long, but today it felt dreamlike, as if each step pulled her deeper into a world she never thought she’d belong to.
“So,” Brian said, kicking a small stone down the road, “what do you like to read?”
Amani blinked — not many people asked her about her interests. “Um… romance. Mystery. And sometimes fantasy.”
He grinned. “Ah, you’re one of those.”
“Those?” she laughed softly.
“The dreamy ones,” he teased. “The kind who imagine love stories everywhere.”
Her cheeks warmed. “Is that a bad thing?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I like it.”
Amani tucked a curl behind her ear to keep her hands from shaking. Talking to him felt easy, natural, almost familiar. Maybe because he didn’t try too hard. He didn’t show off. He didn’t treat her like the poor girl people ignored. He treated her like someone worth listening to.
“What about you?” she asked. “What do you read?”
He sighed dramatically. “Honestly? I don’t read much. But I like music, football, stuff like that.”
She giggled. “So basically everything except books?”
“Pretty much,” he smiled. “But I wouldn’t mind reading if someone… you know… taught me.”
Amani looked away, shy and flustered. “I could… recommend something.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he replied, eyes warm.
They walked a little further in silence, the comfortable kind. Their shoulders brushed once, sending a soft spark through her. She pretended she didn’t feel it, but Brian seemed to notice — his own steps slowed just enough to match hers.
“You know,” he said quietly, “I’m glad you were the first person I talked to today.”
Amani’s breath caught. “Really?”
“Yeah.” His voice grew softer. “There’s something… calm about you.”
Calm.
Not boring.
Not invisible.
Not strange.
Calm.
Amani had never been described that way before. She bit her lower lip to stop the smile creeping in.
They reached the edge of the marketplace, where her path turned. She stopped. “This is where I live.”
Brian nodded and stepped closer, close enough that she could see the tiny flecks of gold in his brown eyes.
“I’ll walk with you again,” he said gently. “If you want.”
“I… I’d like that,” she admitted.
His smile deepened, warm and slow. “Good.”
For a moment neither of them moved. The world felt strangely still, like it was waiting for something — something soft, something important.
Then Brian lifted his hand, hesitating. He brushed a loose curl behind her ear with the lightest touch, fingers warm against her skin.
Amani froze.
It was the softest gesture she had ever received from anyone outside her grandmother.
He withdrew his hand slowly, as if afraid to startle her.
“See you tomorrow, Amani.”
She nodded, unable to form words.
Brian gave one last smile before walking away, his figure bathed in sunlight, each step echoing with confidence.
Amani didn’t move until he disappeared behind a corner.
Then she let out a shaky breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.
What was that…? What is happening? Why me? How?
She hugged her bag to her chest and started toward home, her feet barely touching the ground.
---
Her mother was hanging clothes on the line when Amani entered the compound. She didn’t look up.
“You’re late,” her mother said sharply.
“I walked home with someone,” Amani replied, her smile fading a little.
“With who?”
“A… classmate.”
Her mother scoffed. “I hope you’re not starting trouble. We don’t have time for nonsense.”
The words stung, but Amani said nothing. She headed to her room, her safe place, and flopped onto her bed. The ceiling above her was cracked, the edges crumbling slightly. But at that moment, she didn’t care.
Her heart was too full of Brian Black — his smile, his confidence, his kindness.
She replayed every moment from the garden, every word he spoke, the gentle way he held her gaze. She touched the spot behind her ear where his fingers brushed.
No boy had ever done something like that for her.
She pulled her old journal from beneath her pillow — the one she began using at her grandmother’s house when life became too loud. She flipped to a clean page.
“Today I met someone,” she wrote slowly.
“Someone who made me feel seen.”
“His name is Brian Black.”
She paused, tapping the pen lightly.
“I don’t know what this is. But it feels like the beginning of something… beautiful.”
She closed the journal gently, a small smile tugging at her lips.
For the first time in a long time, Amani fell asleep with hope in her heart.
---
The next morning, she woke up before sunrise, excitement humming beneath her skin. She dressed carefully, smoothing her skirt, brushing her curls, wishing she had something nicer to wear — something worthy of being seen beside someone like Brian.
As she stepped out of her house, she nearly tripped.
Brian Black was leaning against the wall outside, hands in his pockets, eyes bright as they landed on her.
“Morning,” he said, smiling that soft, warm smile.
Amani’s heart leaped. “What… what are you doing here?”
“I told you I’d walk with you,” he shrugged casually. “I meant it.”
“But how did you know where I live?”
“You stopped walking here yesterday,” he said. “I learn fast.”
Amani blinked, stunned. “You came… early.”
“I wanted to make sure I didn’t miss you.”
Her pulse fluttered like a startled bird.
Brian pushed off the wall and stepped closer. “Ready?”
She nodded, cheeks burning.
Together, they began walking toward school — side by side, steps in sync, sunlight brushing their shoulders.
People stared as they passed — curious, shocked, whispering. Amani felt the weight of their eyes, but for once… she didn’t care.
Because Brian was next to her.
And he didn’t seem to care at all.
In fact, he looked almost proud.
When they reached the gate, he leaned down slightly and whispered:
“I’m sitting with you today.”
Her heart nearly burst.
And just like that… the spark grew brighter.
Soft beginnings.
Warm smiles.
Gentle touches.
A perfect sunrise, soft and beautiful —
never hinting at the storm waiting far beyond the horizon.
- Writer
