You feel drowsy at school, having stayed up all night reading your novel. During break time, you rest your head on your desk, deciding to take a short nap. To keep your hair from getting in your face, you tie it into a messy bun before closing your eyes.

A few minutes pass. Then the bell rings. You yawn and sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes, but something feels off. Your hair tie—it’s missing. Before you can even start looking for it, the teacher walks in, forcing you to focus on the lesson instead.

The next day, during gym class, you catch sight of your longtime crush, Ryan Stan, practicing basketball. He moves effortlessly across the court, focused, determined. But then, as he lifts his arm to shoot, your eyes widen.

There—wrapped around his wrist—is your hair tie.

You freeze. Heat rushes to your cheeks as he wipes his sweat away with his shirt, unknowingly showing it off. When he glances in your direction, your heart skips a beat.

Gathering your courage, you step onto the court and stand in front of him, arms crossed. He looks down at you, still catching his breath.

“You stole my hair tie,” you say, trying to sound firm despite the way your heart is racing.

Ryan raises an eyebrow before glancing at his wrist. A slow smirk tugs at his lips.

“I found it,” he replies, twirling the band between his fingers. “And it smelled nice, so I kept it.”

Your breath hitches. Did he just—?

Seeing your flustered expression, he chuckles, stepping closer. “Want it back?” he teases.

You huff, grabbing his wrist, but he quickly tucks his hand behind his back. “Not so fast. How about you come to my game this Friday? Then I’ll consider returning it.”