The hill felt different when they finally stood up to leave.
Not because anything dramatic had happened, but because the quiet between them wasn't the same kind of quiet anymore. It had shape to it now — a rhythm, a softness, something neither of them wanted to break.
Leo walked ahead a little, not far, just enough to kick a loose stone down the slope. Sara followed, hands in her pockets, her steps sinking into the dry grass. The sky had turned a darker shade of gold, the kind that says the day is ending whether you're ready or not.
Halfway down, Leo slowed so she could catch up.
"Hey," he said, voice easy, calmer than earlier.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for… staying."
She smiled slightly. "You already thanked me."
"Yeah, but that was the stressed version. This is the real version."
She nudged him with her shoulder. "Then you're welcome. Again."
He let out a breath that almost sounded like a laugh. The kind you let go only when you're finally safe again.
When they reached the bottom of the hill, the school compound looked almost abandoned — teachers heading out, juniors running toward the gate, a few prefects yelling something no one was listening to. The sound felt far away.
Leo adjusted the strap of his bag. "Do you need to go home now?"
"Well…" Sara tugged at a loose thread on her sleeve. "If I go late, Maya's going to start a conspiracy theory."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "About me?"
"About everything."
He smirked. "She seems fun."
"She is. Annoying, but fun."
They walked together toward the back entrance of the school. Neither rushed. Neither lingered. It was a strange in-between pace, like neither of them knew how to end this moment without making it awkward.
And then—
A voice called out.
"Leo!"
Both turned.
Mr. Jayasena — their class teacher — waved from near the staff room door.
Leo muttered under his breath. "Great."
Sara leaned slightly toward him. "You want me to wait?"
He shook his head. "No, it's fine. He probably just wants to check if I've ruined the school or something."
She snorted. "Try not to fight the teacher."
"Wow. Zero confidence in me."
"Based on history? Correct assessment."
He grinned — that rare, boyish grin that appeared only when he genuinely found something funny.
Then he stepped away toward the staff room.
For a moment, Sara stood alone under the neem tree, watching him walk off. Something in her chest twitched — not panic, not worry, but a quiet realization.
She cared.
More than she intended to.
More than she had admitted even to herself.
She kicked at the dirt gently, suddenly aware of the soft rush in her ears.
After a few minutes, Leo returned. His face wasn't tense — surprisingly.
"So?" she asked.
"He just told me to 'do better.'" Leo shrugged. "Honestly, considering everything, that's the nicest thing he's ever said to me."
Sara laughed under her breath. "Progress."
"Massive progress."
The atmosphere felt lighter now. Not carefree — but definitely less weighed down.
Leo walked with her toward the gate. The crowd had thinned to just a handful of students, mostly latecomers grabbing their bicycles.
The street outside glowed in the late afternoon light. A few tuk-tuks honked. Somewhere, a shop shutter clanged shut. It was a normal scene — painfully normal — but it felt different with him beside her.
They stopped just outside the gate.
"So…" Leo said, rubbing the back of his neck, "…are we okay?"
Sara blinked. "Why wouldn't we be?"
"I don't know. I just keep messing up. And I don't want to ruin this."
Her voice stayed steady. "You haven't ruined anything."
He exhaled like he needed to hear that more than anything.
Then he asked, very quietly, "Will you come tomorrow? Early? Before school starts?"
"Why?"
"Not for anything dramatic," he said quickly. "Just… I want to start the day right. I think talking to you helps."
Her cheeks warmed before she could stop it.
"Yeah," she said. "I can come early."
"Okay." He nodded once, satisfied. "Eight?"
"Seven-fifty."
Leo's lips twitched. "You're overachieving at showing up."
She shrugged. "You said early."
He shook his head, amused.
A small silence settled between them — the kind where two people don't want to leave yet but don't know how to extend the moment without saying too much.
Then Sara stepped back slightly. "I should go."
"Yeah," Leo said. "Me too."
But neither moved.
For half a second, the world paused again — that same suspended feeling from the hill, just softer, gentler.
Leo lowered his voice. "Goodnight, Sara."
"It's not night yet."
He gave her that small, soft smile. "Still… goodnight."
She didn't trust her voice not to crack, so she just nodded.
Sara walked away first, heart thumping like it was trying to memorize every step she took. When she finally dared to glance back, Leo was still standing there, watching her go, hands shoved in his pockets, expression unreadable but warm.
She felt something flutter in her stomach.
Something she had been trying to name but couldn't yet.
---
Later that evening
Home was loud as usual — clattering pans, someone shouting from the living room, the TV running in the background even though no one was watching it.
Sara went straight to her room. She closed the door gently, not slamming it the way she usually did. Her whole body buzzed with leftover warmth, leftover thoughts she didn't know how to organize.
She dropped onto her bed, face-first into her pillow.
"Maya's definitely going to interrogate me tomorrow," she mumbled into the fabric.
She turned onto her back, staring at the ceiling.
Leo's voice echoed somewhere in her head.
"I don't want to lose whatever this is."
"Will you remind me you're not leaving?"
"Talking to you helps."
She covered her face with her hands.
Oh no.
This was getting serious.
Not dramatic serious.
Not chaotic serious.
But the slow, steady kind — the kind you don't even realize you're sinking into until you're knee-deep.
She sat up, hugging a pillow. The room felt too small for all her thoughts.
What was she doing?
What were they doing?
Whatever it was… it felt right.
Unexpected, but right.
Her phone buzzed.
A message.
Leo:
Get home safe?
Her breath froze for a second.
Then she smiled — quietly, stupidly.
Sara:
Yeah. You?
Leo:
Home. Dad's chill today. Small miracle.
She chuckled softly.
Sara:
I'll see you early tomorrow then.
Three dots appeared.
Stopped.
Appeared again.
Stopped.
He was thinking too much.
Finally:
Leo:
Yeah. Tomorrow. Don't overthink everything tonight.
Another message, quickly after:
Leo:
I'm already doing enough overthinking for both of us.
Sara tossed her phone onto the bed and covered her face again.
This boy was going to be the end of her.
But for once, she didn't mind.