OCEAN EYES

Something About him

Chapter Five

Something About Him

I had forgotten how strange it felt to be interested in someone.

Not because I had never liked anyone before.

I had.

At least, I thought I had.

But those feelings had always been simple.

A crush.

A pretty smile.

A cute voice.

Nothing that lasted longer than a few weeks.

Adrian was different.

And I didn't even know why.

Maybe it was because he didn't seem interested in impressing anyone.

While most of the girls in class were whispering about him, he sat beside me as though being the new boy in school wasn't a big deal.

He pulled out a notebook.

Then he looked at me.

“So…”

“So?”

“You're Amara, right?”

I nodded.

“Yeah.”

“I'm Adrian.”

“I know.”

He smiled.

“Right. The teacher introduced me.”

I laughed.

“Exactly.”

He looked at my notebook.

“You take notes?”

“Sometimes.”

He raised an eyebrow.

“This doesn't look like sometimes.”

I glanced down.

Almost every page was filled.

“I like writing.”

“What do you write?”

“Nothing interesting.”

He reached for the notebook.

I quickly pulled it away.

“Hey!”

He laughed.

“Relax. I wasn't going to steal it.”

“You looked suspicious.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“I've been here for fifteen minutes.”

“And you've already tried to steal my book.”

“Fair point.”

I smiled.

He smiled back.

For some reason, I looked away first.

The teacher began the lesson, and we both faced forward.

For the next thirty minutes, I tried to concentrate.

I really did.

But every few minutes, Adrian would lean closer and quietly ask me something.

“What page?”

“What did she just say?”

“Is this going to be in the exam?”

And every time, I answered him.

Eventually, I whispered, “Did you come here to study or ask me questions?”

He leaned back.

“Honestly?”

“Yes.”

“I came here because my parents moved.”

I waited.

He looked at me.

“And because I had no choice.”

I laughed.

“That wasn't the question.”

He smiled.

“You asked why I came here.”

“I asked if you came here to study.”

“Oh.”

He pretended to think.

“No.”

I shook my head.

“You're impossible.”

“I'm beginning to think you like me.”

I nearly choked.

“What?”

He laughed.

“I'm joking.”

I stared at him.

“You shouldn't joke like that.”

“Why?”

“Because someone might believe you.”

He went quiet for a second.

Then he smiled.

“Maybe I wouldn't mind.”

My heart skipped.

I quickly turned toward the board.

“Pay attention.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

I could hear the smile in his voice.

And I hated how much I liked it.

By lunchtime, everyone knew Adrian.

Apparently, it didn't take long for people to become interested in him.

Tessa dropped into the seat across from me in the cafeteria.

“You're hiding something.”

I looked at her.

“No, I'm eating.”

“You know what I mean.”

“I don't.”

She pointed her fork at me.

“Adrian.”

I rolled my eyes.

“What about him?”

“You've been smiling all morning.”

“I smile.”

“Not like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like someone who just found a reason to stop hating Mondays.”

I laughed.

“You're dramatic.”

“I know you.”

She leaned closer.

“Do you like him?”

I opened my mouth.

Nothing came out.

Tessa gasped.

“Oh my God.”

“Stop.”

“You do!”

“I barely know him.”

“That wasn't a no.”

I shook my head.

“He's just nice.”

“That's how it starts.”

“How what starts?”

She smiled.

“The trouble.”

I laughed and pushed her hand away.

But secretly...

I wondered if she was right.

After school, I walked toward the gate alone.

The sky was beginning to turn orange.

I stopped.

For some reason, sunsets always made me think about the ocean.

I hated that.

Three years had passed.

Three years since that night.

Three years since I had seen the underwater city.

Three years since I had heard Isla call me princess.

I had never returned.

I had never seen her again.

And I had convinced myself that was a good thing.

“Hey.”

I turned.

Adrian was standing behind me.

“You walk fast.”

“I wasn't aware we were walking together.”

“We're not.”

He caught up beside me.

“I just happen to be going this way.”

I looked at him suspiciously.

“You're following me.”

“Following you?”

“Yes.”

“That's a serious accusation.”

“You're walking beside me.”

“So?”

“So…”

I couldn't think of an answer.

He laughed.

“You're funny.”

“I wasn't trying to be.”

“I know.”

We continued walking.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

It wasn't awkward.

That surprised me.

Usually, silence made me uncomfortable.

With Adrian, it felt easy.

He kicked a small stone along the pavement.

“So, what do you do after school?”

“Go home.”

“That's it?”

“Sometimes I read.”

“Anything else?”

I looked at him.

“Why are you asking?”

He shrugged.

“I'm trying to make friends.”

“You could ask Tessa.”

“I already did.”

I laughed.

“You're brave.”

“She scares me.”

“She should.”

He smiled.

Then his eyes moved toward the road ahead.

“There's a small café around the corner. Want to get something?”

I hesitated.

I didn't know him well.

But something about the invitation felt harmless.

Normal.

Exactly what I had been trying to make my life.

“Okay.”

His smile widened.

“Really?”

“Don't make me change my mind.”

“Too late.”

We started walking.

And for the first time in years, I felt like maybe I could have a normal life.

School.

Friends.

Laughter.

Maybe even love.

I didn't know it yet, but that simple walk to the café would become one of the memories I would hold onto the longest.

Because sometimes...

the happiest moments arrive quietly.

Before everything changes.