Chapter 3
203 Words
Ethan had a way of turning ordinary days into adventures. A spilled coffee in the cafeteria, a mix-up with textbooks, even a silly joke in chemistry—it all became memorable when he was involved. Every moment with him left her smiling long after he left.
One afternoon, he slipped a small note into her locker: “Meet me by the bleachers. Don’t be late.” She obeyed, heart pounding, imagining all the possibilities. When she arrived, he was there holding two ice creams, grinning like a kid who’d just stolen candy.
“Why did you do this?” she asked, half-laughing, half-annoyed, though the smile tugging at her lips betrayed her irritation.
“Because you deserve a break from all that seriousness,” he said, handing her the ice cream.
She laughed, the sound lighter than it had been in weeks. The ice cream melted faster than she expected, but it didn’t matter. It was the gesture, the attention, the way he seemed to understand her before she even said a word.
In those small, fleeting moments, she felt her carefully planned life blur at the edges. Suddenly, everything seemed a little more colorful, a little more alive—because of him.
- Writer
