The Rumor
767 Words
The next few days felt different.
He and I were closer than before, but neither of us had officially said what we were.
We still teased each other.
We still argued over the smallest things.
But now, there was something underneath it all.
Something only we understood.
Every time our eyes met, there was that same feeling.
A secret.
A secret I wasn't ready to name.
One afternoon, I was walking through the hallway when I heard two girls talking nearby.
“Did you hear about them?”
“Who?”
“Those two. The ones who always pretend they hate each other.”
I slowed down.
I already knew who they were talking about.
“They've apparently been spending a lot of time together.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Someone saw them together outside school.”
My stomach dropped.
I kept walking, pretending I hadn't heard anything.
But my mind was already racing.
Who had seen us?
And more importantly…
What exactly had they seen?
By the time I reached the classroom, I was trying my best to act normal.
I sat down, opened my notebook, and stared at the same page without reading a single word.
A few minutes later, he walked in.
The moment he saw me, he smiled.
Normally, I would have smiled back.
This time, I couldn't.
His smile faded slightly.
He walked over and sat beside me.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
He gave me a look.
“Don't say nothing. I know you.”
I glanced around the classroom before lowering my voice.
“People are talking about us.”
He frowned.
“What?”
“They're saying we've been spending too much time together.”
He leaned back in his chair.
“So?”
I stared at him.
“So?”
“Yes. Let them talk.”
“You don't care?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
He looked directly into my eyes.
“Because I know how I feel about you.”
My heart stopped.
For a second, I forgot how to breathe.
He had never said anything like that before.
“What do you mean?”
He leaned closer, his voice dropping.
“I think you know.”
My cheeks immediately became warm.
Before I could answer, someone walked into the classroom.
We quickly moved apart.
I looked down at my notebook, pretending to be busy.
But there was no way I could concentrate now.
His words kept repeating in my head.
I know how I feel about you.
What did that even mean?
Did he...
No.
I wasn't going to assume anything.
But deep down, I already knew.
After class, I packed my things slowly.
When I stepped outside, I found him waiting for me.
He looked at me and nodded toward the hallway.
“Come with me.”
“Where?”
“Just come.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You're being suspicious.”
He smiled.
“Maybe.”
I followed him anyway.
We walked until we reached a quiet part of the school grounds, away from the other students.
He stopped and turned toward me.
For a moment, he just looked at me.
Then he sighed.
“I don't want to keep pretending.”
My heart began beating faster.
“Pretending what?”
“That we're just friends.”
I swallowed.
“I don't know what we are.”
“Neither do I.”
He smiled slightly.
“But I know I don't want to lose whatever this is.”
I looked at him.
Neither of us spoke.
The noise from the rest of the school seemed far away.
Then he reached for my hand.
His fingers slipped between mine.
This time, I didn't pull away.
Instead, I held his hand tightly.
He looked down at our hands, then back at me.
“You're not scared?”
I shook my head.
“Not of this.”
He smiled.
“Good.”
For the first time, I didn't care what people were saying.
Maybe the rumours didn't matter.
Maybe people could talk as much as they wanted.
Because whatever was happening between us was real.
And for the first time, I wasn't afraid of admitting it.
I was falling for him.
But I didn't know that someone else was about to make everything much more complicated.
Because as we walked back toward the main building, neither of us noticed the girl standing across the courtyard.
Watching us.
And holding a phone in her hand.
A phone with a photo of us holding hands on the phone screen
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