Chapter 2 The Boy Who Stayed
736 Words
The next morning, Lily told herself she would not look for him.
It was a simple decision. A sensible one. And yet, from the moment she stepped through the school gates at Westbrook Sixth Form College, her eyes betrayed her.
Every tall figure in the distance made her look twice. Every familiar laugh made her turn her head. Even the sound of footsteps behind her made her pause for half a second longer than necessary.
She sighed quietly, tightening her grip on her bag.“This is ridiculous,” she muttered to herself.“Talking to yourself now?” Sophie’s voice appeared beside her.
Lily jumped slightly. “You scared me.”
Sophie smirked. “No, something else is scaring you. Let me guess… tall, messy hair, doesn’t know how to wear a tie properly?”
Lily rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the small smile forming. “It’s not like that.”
“Mm-hmm,” Sophie said, clearly unconvinced.
They walked into class together, and Lily deliberately chose not to look at the empty seat beside her. She sat down. Opened her notebook, stared at the same page for a full minute.
“You’re staring at the door again,” Sophie whispered.“I am not.”“You are.”“I’m not.”
“You like him.”Lily turned sharply. “I met him yesterday.”
Sophie leaned back in her chair. “And?”Lily had no answer to that.
Before she could think of one, the classroom door opened. And there he was. Ethan.
This time, he wasn’t late.
He walked in like he belonged there, like yesterday hadn’t been his first day. His eyes moved across the room and stopped when they found Lily.
And then he smiled. Not a polite smile. Not a casual one. It was warm. Familiar.
Like he was already comfortable around her. Lily felt something shift inside her chest.
He walked over and dropped into the seat beside her.
“Morning,” he said, slightly out of breath, like he had hurried anyway.
“Morning,” she replied, hoping her voice sounded normal.
He glanced at her notebook. “You actually did the reading?”
She frowned. “You’re supposed to.”He leaned a little closer, lowering his voice. “That sounds like something a smart person would say.”
Lily let out a small laugh before she could stop herself.
And just like that it was easy again.
The lesson went by quicker than she expected.
This time, their conversation flowed naturally. No awkward pauses. No overthinking.
Ethan asked questions like he genuinely wanted answers.
“What do you do when you’re not studying?” he asked.“Mostly write,” Lily said.“Like… stories?”She nodded. “Yeah.”
He looked impressed. “That’s actually really cool.”“It’s not that serious,” she said quickly.
“It is,” he replied. “Most people don’t create things. They just scroll through their phones all day.”Lily smiled softly.
“What about you?” she asked. He leaned back in his chair. “Football, mostly. And music. I listen to a lot of old stuff.”“Old?” she raised an eyebrow.“Yeah. Like songs my parents used to play.”“Such as?”He named a few artists, and Lily blinked in surprise.
“I know those,” she said. He turned to her, slightly shocked. “No way.”“Yes way.”
“Okay,” he said, smiling, “now I like you more.”
The words came out casually. But Lily felt them deeply.
When the bell rang, neither of them moved immediately. It was strange like neither of them wanted the moment to end.
Ethan stood up first, slinging his bag over his shoulder.“So… you sitting here tomorrow too?” he asked. Lily hesitated for a second. “I always sit here.”
“Good,” he said. “Makes things easier.”“For you?”“For me,” he admitted.
She smiled. As he walked away, Sophie leaned forward instantly.“Okay,” she whispered, “he likes you.”
Lily shook her head. “He’s just friendly.”Sophie gave her a look. “And you’re already in trouble.”Lily didn’t respond.
But deep down, she knew Sophie might be right.
- Writer
