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There was a basketball match at school,As the game started, my eyes kept following Ethan. The way he moved, the confidence, the focus… he looked kind of… hot. I didn’t even realize I was staring until I started shouting,
“Ethan! Go for it!”
My voice blended with the crowd, but somehow it felt like he heard me.
The match got intense, but in the end—he won.
My heart was racing as he walked off the court, straight toward us.
Ivy quickly stepped forward and offered him her water bottle. But he didn’t even take it.
Instead, he came to me.
Without saying anything, he took the bottle from my hand and drank from it.
For a second, everything went silent.
I looked at Ivy—and her expression said it all. Jealousy burned in her eyes… like she was already planning something. The teacher stood near the corridor quietly watching us from afar. Ethan was leaning against the classroom window, laughing at one of my terrible jokes while I tried to stop laughing myself. For a moment, everything felt normal and light.
But then I noticed the teacher’s serious expression.
My smile slowly faded.
“Emma, Ethan,” he called out firmly.
We both turned around instantly. Ethan straightened himself while I nervously fixed my hair, confused about why sir suddenly looked so strict.
“Can I speak to both of you for a minute?”
The cheerful atmosphere disappeared immediately. Some students nearby started whispering. From the corner of the hallway, Ivy was standing there pretending not to look at us, but the tiny smile on her face said everything.
Sir crossed his arms.
“You two seem very comfortable together lately.”
Ethan glanced at me before answering calmly, “We’re just friends, sir.”
Sir looked unconvinced.
“I hope so. School is for studies first. I don’t want unnecessary distractions affecting your grades or creating rumors in class. Understood?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes, sir.”
Ethan answered confidently, “It won’t affect anything.”
For a second, sir stayed silent, then he sighed and walked away. The moment he left, the tension finally disappeared.
I let out a breath. “This is so embarrassing…”
Ethan chuckled softly. “Looks like people are very interested in our friendship.”
I rolled my eyes. “Friendship?”
He smirked slightly and stepped a little closer.
“Maybe that’s why they’re jealous.”
My heart skipped for a second while Ivy watched us from far away, clearly annoyed that even after complaining, Ethan still stayed beside me.Over the next few days, the teacher quietly kept observing both of us during classes, group activities, and breaks. But instead of finding anything suspicious, he mostly saw Ethan helping me with assignments, sharing notes, and the two of us laughing over random little things like normal friends.
One afternoon after class, sir watched as Ethan explained a difficult physics question to me while I kept getting the answer wrong again and again.
“You seriously have the patience of a saint,” I complained dramatically.
Ethan laughed. “No, you just panic too fast.”
Sir shook his head slightly from the doorway, finally realizing Ivy had exaggerated everything.
The next day, he even told another teacher softly, “Those two are harmless. They’re just close friends.”
Things slowly became normal again. The whispers in class faded, and even the tension around us disappeared. But Ivy clearly didn’t like that her plan failed.
Meanwhile, Ethan and I became even more comfortable around each other. Sometimes he would save me a seat in class, sometimes I would wait for him after basketball practice. None of it felt forced anymore.My parents had gone out of town for some business work, so I was alone at home that evening. I was getting bored when suddenly Leo and Zoe came over.
“Emma!” Zoe shouted dramatically. “We are kidnapping you for studying.”
Leo laughed. “Basically Ethan’s house.”
I sighed jokingly. “Wow, such an exciting plan.”
Still, I grabbed my books and went with them. At Ethan’s house we all sat around the table studying, though half the time Leo kept making jokes while Zoe complained about math problems.
Ethan looked at me and smirked.
“You’ve written the answer wrong three times.”
“Because your handwriting looks like ancient code,” I argued.
He laughed softly while fixing my notebook.
Hours passed quickly, and before we realized it, it had already become late evening.
Leo stretched his arms. “Okay, I’m going home before my mom starts a search operation.”
“Same,” Zoe said while packing her bag. Then she looked at me. “Emma, coming?”
“I’ll leave in a minute,” I replied. “You guys go ahead, I just need to pack my things.”
They both nodded and left after saying goodbye.
The moment I finished packing my bag, heavy rain suddenly started pouring outside. Lightning flashed brightly across the sky followed by loud thunder.
I stopped near the door and looked outside nervously.
Ethan walked beside me and glanced at the storm.
“You should go after the rain stops.”
“I think I can still make it,” I said uncertainly.
Another loud thunder sound echoed, making me jump slightly.
Ethan noticed immediately and tried to hide his smile.
“Yeah… definitely not.”
I frowned. “I’m not scared.”
“Mhm,” he teased while crossing his arms. “You nearly dropped your bag.”
I looked away embarrassed while he walked to the window, watching the rain.
The house suddenly felt quieter without Leo and Zoe there. Only the sound of rain tapping against the windows filled the room.
Then Ethan turned back toward me with a soft smile.
“Until the rain stops… want something warm to drink?”We sat quietly in the living room with our drinks while rain poured heavily outside. The lightning occasionally brightened the room for a second before everything turned cozy and dim again.
I looked at Ethan curiously.
“You usually stay alone at home?”
He nodded casually.
“Yeah. My parents are mostly busy with business meetings and trips, so I’m alone most of the time.”
“Oh…” I said softly. “Doesn’t it feel lonely sometimes?”
Ethan gave a small smile.
“Sometimes. But I got used to it.”
For a while we just talked normally “You know,” I joked, “you act like a strict teacher sometimes.”
“And you act like someone who never listens,” he replied immediately.
I gasped dramatically. “Rude.”
He laughed softly, and honestly, hearing him laugh made the whole room feel warmer.
While talking, I accidentally stepped near the edge of the carpet. My foot got stuck suddenly.
“Emma—”
Before I could react, I slipped forward and fell directly onto Ethan.
My drink barely stayed in my hand as I landed against him — and accidentally, our lips touched for a quick second.
Everything froze.
My eyes widened instantly. Ethan looked completely shocked too.
I quickly pulled away, my cheeks burning red.
“I-I’m so sorry!”
Ethan sat there speechless for a second before nervously replying,
“No, it’s okay…”
The room became painfully quiet.
Outside, thunder crashed loudly while both of us avoided eye contact. I could feel my heartbeat racing so fast it was almost embarrassing.
“I should probably sit properly before I destroy your entire house,” I mumbled awkwardly.
That made Ethan laugh a little, breaking the tension.
“You’re dangerous during rainy weather,” he teased softly.
I threw a cushion at him immediately. “Stop making fun of me!”
He caught it easily, still smiling. Then his expression softened slightly as he looked at me.
“But… I didn’t exactly mind it.”
I stopped moving.
“What?”
“The accident,” he said quietly, suddenly looking nervous himself.
The teasing in his voice disappeared completely.
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The only sound was rain hitting the windows.
Then the lights flickered because of the storm, making me instinctively move closer to him again.
Ethan noticed and gently said,
“You can stay here until the rain calms down. Don’t worry.”
I looked at him, my face still warm from before.After a while, the heavy rain slowly began to calm down. The thunder became quieter, and only small raindrops tapped against the windows now.
I looked outside.
“I think the rain finally stopped.”
Ethan stood up and walked toward the door to check. Cool air entered the room as he opened it slightly.
“Yeah,” he said, turning back toward me. “But it’s still pretty dark outside.”
I picked up my bag. “It’s okay, I’ll go.”
Ethan immediately shook his head.
“No chance. I’m dropping you home.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I know,” he interrupted softly while grabbing his hoodie from the chair. “I still want to.”
My heart skipped a little at how naturally he said it.
- Writer
