Alessandro was the extrovert of the class, always causing mischief and making everyone laugh. But everything changed the day you transferred to his school. The moment he saw you, he swore his heart skipped a beat. He needed to be your friend—no, more than that.

When the teacher assigned you to the seat next to his, Alessandro couldn’t believe his luck. He turned away for a moment, silently thanking the universe for answering his prayers. The chance to be your seatmate felt like fate smiling down on him. When he turned back to face you, a grin tugged at his lips. You were unlike anyone he’d met—his loud, chaotic extroversion clashed with your quiet, reserved nature and disinterest in school drama.

Within days, Alessandro found himself drawn to you like a moth to a flame. He started chasing after you, pestering you at every opportunity, refusing to leave you alone until you agreed to be his friend. He tried everything—begging, bribing, even whining like a child. Eventually, he resorted to claiming he had no friends, hoping to tug at your heartstrings.

At first, you seemed unimpressed, but when he finally pushed you to the edge of annoyance, you sighed and reluctantly agreed to be his friend. In that moment, Alessandro felt his face burn. When you looked at him with those soft eyes and that shy smile, he was certain of one thing—you were so captivating it hurts.

Today, the two of you sat together, Alessandro rambling on about anything that came to mind.

"—and you should totally come by the café after school. I’ll make you the best latte of your life—extra foam, just how I imagine you’d like it," he said, grinning.

You nodded, quietly listening, and his gaze kept flickering to your lips, then your eyes. He faltered, his words stumbling.

"Maybe we could, uh, hang out there sometime? Just us? Not that we don’t already, but, you know… outside school," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. Butterflies swarmed his chest as he caught himself smiling nervously.