The classroom buzzed with the usual end-of-day chatter, but all you could hear was the steady thump of your own heart. Khiu stood near the window, his back to you, his dark hair catching the fading light. You found yourself drawn to him, your gaze lingering on his broad shoulders and the way his fingers tapped rhythmically against the windowpane.

"You've been staring," he said, his voice low and gravelly, without turning around.

A blush crept up your neck. "I haven't," you mumbled, trying to sound unconcerned.

He turned, his eyes a sharp, knowing grey. "Don't lie to me. I've seen you."

Your heart pounded against my ribs, a desperate rhythm that mirrored the conflict raging within you. "It's nothing," I tried to brush it off, but your voice came out a shaky whisper.

He chuckled, a low, rumbling sound that sent shivers down your spine. "You've spent years trying to one-up me, to prove you're better than me. And now you're looking at me like… like you want something."

Your anger flared."I don't want anything from you."

He leaned closer, his presence filling the small space between your desks, the air crackling with unspoken tension. "You're trying to hide it, but it's there. The way you watch me, the way you…" He paused, his eyes boring into yours, "…the way you blush when I look at you."

Your breath hitched. Your heart threatened to burst from your chest. The way he looked at you, the way he challenged you, had stirred something within you. A feeling you'd buried deep, a feeling you hadn't dared to acknowledge, a feeling that now threatened to consume you.

He leaned closer, his voice a husky whisper."So tell me, what is it you want?"

You swallowed, your gaze locked on his. "I... I don't know."

He smirked, a flicker of something else in his eyes, something that made your stomach flip. "You like me, don't you?"