The change was so small that no one else noticed it.
But Joya did.
The next afternoon, she was walking past the road like always, her steps slow, her thoughts louder than her surroundings. She told herself not to look, not to expect anything. Yet her eyes moved on their own.
Sudom was there.
This time, he wasn't riding past without a glance.
When he saw her, his eyes paused for a second longer than before. Not long enough to be obvious, but long enough for Joya's heart to skip a beat. He nodded slightly, almost unsure, as if confirming something in his mind.
Joya froze.
Then, slowly, she nodded back.
It was nothing. No words. No smile. Just a brief acknowledgement between two people who barely knew each other.
Yet it felt heavier than silence.
At school, Joya noticed him again. When she passed by the corridor, Sudom looked up. Their eyes met for a moment before both of them looked away. Her cheeks warmed instantly, and she pretended not to care.
But inside, everything felt different.
He noticed me, she thought.
The idea followed her all day. While sitting in class. While walking home. While staring at the sky as evening returned once more. She wondered if that brief conversation, that one small moment, had changed something between them.
Or maybe it was only her heart hoping too much.
That evening, as Sudom rode past again, he slowed down slightly. Just enough to look in her direction. Just enough to make her chest tighten with nervous excitement.
He didn't stop.
He didn't speak.
But he remembered.
And for Joya, that was more than enough to make her hidden love feel both hopeful and frightening at the same time.
Because once someone begins to notice you, pretending not to care becomes much harder.