It was a Wednesday—hot, slow, and ordinary. But for Zayne Oluwafemi, nothing about that day felt normal.
He had barely slept. All night, thoughts of Liana had filled his mind like waves crashing against a cliff. Her name. Her voice. Her eyes. He didn't even understand why she was stuck in his head… only that she was.
So when he walked into the God's Will Tutorial center the next day, his heart beat faster than it should.
And when he saw her again—seated quietly in her usual spot near the window—his chest tightened, gently, like something inside him sighed in relief.
There she is.
Just seeing her was enough to settle the storm in his mind.
Their eyes met—for only a second.
Her gaze was calm. Neutral. She blinked and looked away, adjusting her pen and notebook like it meant nothing.
But Zayne… felt everything.
In that single glance, his heart seemed to whisper:
That's her.
The girl I can't stop thinking about.
She looked exactly the same, yet somehow more beautiful than the day before. Maybe it was the sunlight touching her skin, or the way her hair fell gently beside her cheek. Or maybe it was just the way his feelings were growing faster than he could explain.
The teacher was already standing by the board, explaining a topic Zayne had long mastered. As usual, he zoned out. But when the teacher stumbled over a difficult question and looked to the class for help, it was Zayne who raised his hand.
He answered it effortlessly—breaking the silence.
The teacher blinked. "That's… correct. Wow. How did you even—?"
But Zayne only shrugged and looked down, pretending it was nothing. Yet from the corner of his eye, he glanced toward Liana, wondering if she was impressed.
She wasn't even looking.
She's not watching me?
Why do I care so much if she is?
Still, his chest ached a little—not in pain, but in longing.
The teacher wrote the question down again. "Class, you'll solve the rest at home. Homework for everyone."
Later, the math teacher walked in—strict and sharp. He handed out classwork sheets that made most of the students groan. The numbers were complex, the equations heavy.
Zayne barely glanced at his before solving it with ease.
A few students—mostly boys—flocked to his side, asking for help. He explained patiently, pointing at their workbooks and breaking things down clearly.
But even while talking, his attention drifted.
His eyes searched for her.
She was no longer in her usual spot.
Where is she—
Then he remembered: Liana couldn't see from far. The math teacher had instructed her to sit in front whenever he was teaching so she wouldn't miss anything. She sat two rows ahead, her back straight, pencil tapping lightly against her book.
He stared at her longer than he should have.
At the way she tilted her head while thinking.
At the way she quietly worked through the classwork with a soft furrow in her brows.
She didn't notice him.
She never did.
Why do I feel like I'm the only one seeing her… while she doesn't see me at all?
When the class ended, students began gathering their books.
Liana stood up and walked back toward her original seat at the back. She moved carefully, weaving through narrow spaces between desks and bags.
Zayne's heart jumped.
She was heading straight toward his row.
He lowered his head, pretending to adjust his bag, trying not to look. But her presence was impossible to ignore.
As she reached the seat inside—right beside him—she said softly:
"Please excuse me."
Her voice.
That voice again. Soft, calm, innocent.
Zayne shifted slightly to the side, giving her space without meeting her eyes. His hands tightened around the edge of the bench. His jaw tensed.
Don't look. Don't look. Don't let her see how she affects you.
She slid into her seat beside him and quietly opened her notebook, completely unaware that the boy beside her was struggling to hold in a storm of emotions.
Zayne kept his gaze on the desk in front of him, but his thoughts were screaming:
How can one girl make me feel this much?
And how is she so close… yet so far away?
He was falling—and fast.
And she didn't even know.