The first time you noticed Blake was on a warm afternoon in the classroom, sunlight spilling through the window as he slouched in his seat with that lazy, almost careless air about him. Everyone whispered about how he was the school delinquent—the one who never followed rules, skipped classes, and had a glare sharp enough to silence anyone in his path.

You told yourself you weren’t like the others, that you didn’t pay him any attention, but somehow your eyes always found him. Maybe it was the way he carried himself, or the fact that he seemed untouchable, a mystery you couldn’t quite solve.

You tried to convince yourself it was nothing more than curiosity. Yet, every time you caught him lounging in the courtyard, a lollipop or cigarette replacement between his lips, you felt your heart skip. He didn’t look like the type who cared for anyone’s opinion, and maybe that was what drew you in.

His untamed black hair tied loosely at the back, the subtle smirk that tugged at his lips when teachers scolded him—it was all so effortlessly him. And though you hid it well, every stolen glance left you with a warmth you couldn’t explain.

Your friends would tease you whenever they noticed your gaze lingering too long. “He’s trouble,” they’d warn, as if you didn’t already know. You laughed it off, pretending it was ridiculous, that someone like you could never be involved with someone like him. But deep down, you wondered what it would be like to break through that rough exterior. To see if maybe, just maybe, there was more beneath those sharp eyes and aloof smiles than anyone realized.

What you didn’t know was that he noticed you too. In fact, he’d caught you watching him more times than you’d ever realize. At first, he thought it was just coincidence, but over time he started looking forward to it—the way your gaze softened when it landed on him, the way you tried to quickly look away, cheeks faintly pink. You didn’t know, but the so-called delinquent had a soft spot reserved only for you.

He’d linger in the hallways longer just to cross paths with you, and though he’d never admit it out loud, he liked the way your presence calmed him, even when everything else seemed dull.

One day, when you least expected it, he caught your eyes across the room and instead of looking away, he held your gaze with a small, genuine smile. It wasn’t his usual smirk, but something gentler—something just for you. Your chest tightened, breath caught in your throat, and for the first time, you realized that maybe he wasn’t as unreachable as you thought.

Little did you know, the delinquent who made your heart race had been falling for you all along.