School felt louder than I remembered.
The familiar gates, the chatter, the teachers calling out instructions—it was like the trip had been a dream we all woke up from at the same time.
But some things had changed.
I noticed it the moment I walked in.
Xavier was already there.
Leaning against the lockers. Hands in his pockets. Looking completely calm—until his eyes met mine.
Then he smiled.
Just a small one.
My heart immediately betrayed me.
I looked away too fast, cheeks warming. Get it together, Hinata.
Calvin appeared beside me, dropping his bag dramatically. "Wow. Back to school already. I miss the dorm chaos."
Mira laughed. "You say that now."
As we walked to class, Xavier naturally fell into step beside me. No announcement. No hesitation. Like it was normal.
"Did you finish the assignment?" he asked.
"Barely," I replied. "You?"
"Yeah." He paused. "Want to compare answers later?"
"Sure."
Simple. Casual.
But when we sat down in class, I felt it—the glances. The whispers. The way people looked between us like they were trying to connect dots.
During the lesson, I caught Xavier looking at me again.
"What?" I mouthed.
He leaned closer, voice low. "You're doing it again."
"Doing what?"
"Blushing when you notice me."
I nudged his leg under the desk. "Pay attention."
He smiled and finally looked back at the board—but my heart didn't calm down.
At lunch, Aiden and Amira sat at another table. I noticed them, but the feeling was distant now. Not painful. Just… past.
Calvin leaned over. "You're different since the trip."
I hummed. "In a bad way?"
"No," he said. "In a 'you finally look happy' way."
Across the table, Xavier met my eyes.
And this time, I didn't look away.
Being back at school didn't erase what happened on the trip.
If anything, it made it clearer.
Whatever this was between us—it wasn't staying behind in dorm hallways or accidental moments.
It was coming with us.
Into classrooms.
Into everyday life.
And I had a feeling…
school was about to get a lot more interesting.