WHAT IF?

Cairo walked through the halls of his high school with a heavy backpack slung over his shoulder. He had just finished his last class of the day and was looking forward to heading home to relax. As he turned a corner, he spotted the school library and had an idea. He had a big exam coming up and needed a quiet place to study. The library was perfect for that, and he decided to head inside. As he walked through the aisles of books, he noticed a girl sitting alone at a table with her nose buried in a book. Cairo couldn't help but be intrigued by her. He had seen her around school before, but they had never spoken. She was different from the girls he usually hung out with - quiet and studious, not flashy and outgoing like his usual crowd. He walked up to her table and cleared his throat. The girl looked up from her book, surprised to see Cairo standing in front of her. "Hey, is it okay if I sit here and study?" he asked, gesturing to the empty seat across from her. The girl nodded silently, and Cairo took a seat. He pulled out his textbooks and began to study, stealing glances at the girl every now and then. After a while, he couldn't help but strike up a conversation. "What are you reading?" he asked, nodding towards the book in front of her. Nea looked up, surprised that he was still there. "Oh, it's just a novel for English class," she replied, closing the book. Cairo grinned. "I've never been much of a reader, but I'm trying to change that. Any good book recommendations?" And so the conversation continued, flowing easily between the two of them. They talked about books, movies, music, and anything else that came to mind. As the library began to empty out, Cairo realized that they had been talking for hours. "I should probably get going," he said reluctantly. "But this was really nice. We should do it again sometime." Nea smiled, feeling a warmth in her chest that she hadn't felt in a long time. "I'd like that," she replied. As Cairo walked out of the library, he couldn't help but feel excited about the possibility of getting to know Nea better. Who knew what could happen between them? "What if," he thought to himself, smiling at the thought of a future with Nea by his side.