the next morning felt heavy, like the air itself was waiting for something. sara kept replaying the after-school walk with leo in her mind. the way his hand brushed hers—not by accident, not by fate, but by some unspoken gravity pulling them closer. she had tried to sleep, tried to ignore the memory, but every attempt failed spectacularly. the second she closed her eyes, she could see him—grinning, warm, and impossibly close. her chest hurt in that confusing, dizzying way that made her both terrified and thrilled.
when she arrived at school, she walked with her head down, determined not to bump into leo immediately. she failed.
"morning," he said, appearing on her side like he had a sixth sense for when she was pretending to be busy.
"morning," she muttered, trying to sound unimpressed.
"did you sleep well?"
"i… slept," she replied carefully, keeping her eyes on the ground.
leo's eyebrow quirked. "you're lying. i can tell."
she groaned. "how do you always know?"
"i'm observant. dangerous even."
sara snorted but couldn't hide the small smile threatening to escape. leo noticed immediately. of course he noticed. he always noticed.
---
first period — chemistry lab
the lab was chaotic, with students milling around, bubbling liquids, and the occasional smell of something burning. sara tried to focus on her experiment, hoping the day would proceed without any drama.
too late. leo appeared, slipping in beside her like he had no other place to be.
"we're lab partners today," he said casually, dropping his bag on the counter.
"no we're not," she replied, though her voice was weaker than she intended.
"we are. mr. fernandez said so."
she froze. mr. fernandez had a reputation for matchmaking disguised as lab assignments.
"fine," she muttered. "but don't touch anything i'm doing."
"yes ma'am," he said with a mock bow.
as they worked together, leo's fingers brushed hers repeatedly while passing beakers and notes. sara felt her heart flutter at every touch, each one leaving a trail of heat she didn't want anyone to see.
"why are you staring at me?" leo asked suddenly, eyes catching hers.
"i… i'm not," she said quickly, looking down.
"sure," he replied, smirking. "classic sara."
---
the experiment required precise steps. sara focused intensely, trying not to think about leo leaning dangerously close to check her measurements. she was aware of the warmth radiating from him, aware of the soft teasing glint in his eyes, aware of the way he looked at her like she mattered in a way no one else did.
she tried to focus. she really did.
"careful with the solution," leo whispered, hovering just slightly behind her shoulder.
she froze. his breath brushed her ear. she swallowed hard and stepped slightly to the side. he didn't move away. instead, he leaned a fraction closer, not enough to be obvious, but enough for her pulse to spike.
"sara…" he whispered. "stop pretending you're fine."
she spun around, face burning. "i'm fine."
"are you?" he asked, voice lower now, serious.
she looked away. she wanted to punch him. she wanted to hug him. she wanted to run. she wanted to stay. she didn't know what she wanted.
"let's focus on the lab," she finally said.
leo smiled softly. "if you say so."
---
lunch break — courtyard
sara sat under a small tree, trying to eat her sandwich quietly. she was alone, and for a moment, the quiet made her chest relax. but then… leo. of course he was there.
"hey," he said, dropping down beside her like he owned the space.
"hi," she mumbled.
"you've been avoiding me all morning."
"i have not."
"yes, you have. three times."
sara groaned. "leo, why do you have to be like this?"
"like what?"
"like… you," she said, exasperated.
he tilted his head, looking at her seriously. "me?"
"yes. you. everything about you."
he laughed softly. "everything about me?"
"yes!" she snapped. "you're always there. always noticing. always… too much."
"too much?" he asked, genuinely confused. "i'm… just trying to be present."
"present?" she scoffed. "more like… stalking."
"i'm not stalking," he said, but his eyes softened. "i'm caring."
her heart skipped. "caring… is different from… from this."
"this?" he asked, voice dropping lower. "this what?"
"this tension," she whispered. "between us. it's… dangerous."
"dangerous?" he repeated.
she nodded. "yes. because i can't ignore it. and i don't want to. but i also don't know how to handle it."
leo didn't answer immediately. he just reached out, brushing a stray hair from her face. the contact was brief, but electric.
"sara," he said finally, voice steady, "i don't expect you to handle it. i just… want to be here. with you. even if it's confusing."
her chest tightened. she didn't know how to respond.
"i—" she started.
"don't," he said softly. "you don't have to. just… sit with me."
so she did. she sat. side by side. close enough that their shoulders touched. quiet. nothing more. and yet, everything more.
---
afternoon — library
sara tried to focus on her psychology homework, but leo was seated across from her, pretending to read but actually watching her every move. she couldn't stop stealing glances at him. every time their eyes met, her stomach jumped.
"you're distracted," he said softly.
"i'm not," she said, flipping a page.
"you are."
she huffed. "i can't help it."
he leaned forward slightly, dropping his hand on the table near hers, not touching her, just close enough. "about what?"
"you," she muttered, almost too quietly.
leo's eyes softened. "me?"
she nodded, face burning.
"sara," he said quietly, voice low. "you're impossible. and i'm not letting you go."
her heart raced. she wanted to argue, to run, to scream, but she didn't.
instead, she looked at him, really looked at him.
and for the first time, she let herself admit—just a little—that she was falling.
---
the day ended too quickly. the sun dipped low, casting long shadows across the schoolyard. sara walked slowly toward the gate, thinking about the touches, the whispered words, the closeness she couldn't deny.
leo caught up with her, falling into step silently.
"today was…" she started.
"intense?" he offered.
"yeah," she admitted.
"good intense or bad intense?"
"good," she whispered, almost embarrassed.
he smiled softly. "good. because we're figuring it out… together."
she glanced at him. "together?"
"yeah," he said, eyes serious, voice quiet. "whatever this is… we handle it together. no running, no pretending, no hiding."
sara's heart skipped. "okay."
they walked side by side, shoulders brushing, hands dangerously close. not holding, not yet, but closer than yesterday.
and for sara, that closeness was more terrifying and thrilling than anything else.
something was changing.
something was growing.
and they both knew there was no going back.