The school corridors were quieter than usual, the buzz of recess mostly drowned by students already crowding the canteen. Monica stood by the stairs, tightly clutching her phone with a slightly trembling hand.
She had asked Lynx last night if he could help her print a paper for their extra math class—hers was due soon, and her home printer was out of ink again. He said yes. So now, here she was.
But there was one problem.
Lynx's class, Omega, was still in session.
Through the narrow glass window of the classroom door, she could see a teacher standing at the whiteboard. No way she could just walk in and get him.
Her fingers hovered above her screen.
Should I call?
Her heart pounded at the idea. Calling him while he was in class felt like a crime, even if it was recess time. What if he got in trouble? What if his classmates stared? What if he thought she was being too clingy?
Before the panic could grow, someone tapped her arm.
It was Ave, her classmate.
"Need help?" Ave asked, noticing the obvious distress written all over Monica's face.
Monica hesitated, then nodded sheepishly. "Can you... ask him to come out? I asked him to print something, but I think he forgot."
Ave gave her a small smile and walked over to Omega's classroom door with the ease Monica wished she had.
"Excuse me, teacher," Ave said politely. "Can I borrow Lynx for a moment? Just for a second."
The teacher raised an eyebrow but didn't say no. A few heads turned. A couple of his classmates made vague comments like, "Ooooh, Lynx got fans."
Lynx walked out, hands in his pockets as usual, expression unreadable.
At first, he only saw Ave standing there.
Then his eyes shifted—farther down the corridor, where Monica stood half-hidden behind a pillar, nervously clutching her bag.
"Oh," he said.
"Sorry," he added, rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot to bring it. I was rushing this morning."
Monica blinked. "Oh—uh, it's okay! Is tomorrow fine?"
"Yeah," Lynx nodded. "Tomorrow's fine."
"Great," she said, her voice soft but sincere.
And just like that, he nodded once again and headed back inside, the moment over in barely a minute.
But for Monica?
It echoed louder than it should.
She turned to walk back to her class, barely aware of her feet moving. Her thoughts were swirling—not because anything big had happened, but because of how small it was… and how it still made her cheeks burn.
Nothing dramatic. No butterflies.
Just a short glance. A small talk. A tiny mistake.
But it was enough to stay in her mind all day.