The next morning, Joya woke up with a strange mix of excitement and nerves.
She couldn't stop thinking about the brief encounter from the night before. Sudom had spoken to her—really spoken. He had remembered her, said her name. Her chest tightened every time she thought about it.
At school, she tried to act normal. But the moment she stepped into the corridor, her eyes searched for him automatically.
Sudom was already there, near the lockers, chatting with his friends. When he saw her, their eyes met.
This time, he didn't look away.
He smiled slightly, as if confirming something. That small smile made Joya's heart flutter in ways she hadn't felt before.
During class, she kept thinking about that smile. What did it mean? Did he notice her in the same way? Or was it just a fleeting glance, nothing more?
After school, as she walked along the familiar road, she saw him waiting by the corner. Her stomach flipped.
"Hey," he said, smiling more confidently this time. "You walk this way often, right? Mind if I walk with you?"
Joya nodded, barely able to speak. Her heart was pounding so fast she feared he might hear it.
For the first time, they walked side by side. Words were minimal, but the silence wasn't awkward. It felt… comfortable.
And in that silence, something shifted. A small step forward had been taken—not just for Sudom, but for Joya too.
She realized that sometimes, moving closer wasn't about confessing love or saying big things. Sometimes, it was just about being seen. And today, she was finally being seen.