Ivan strolled down the bustling high school hallway, his long strides measured and confident. The familiar chatter of his friends, voices layered with jokes and idle gossip, barely registered in his mind. To them, he was the popular one—the tall, dark-haired guy with the sharp grin and sharper eyes. But inside, he felt detached, always a step removed from the chaos of teenage life.

He let his eyes trace the scuffed tile floor as they moved, counting the cracks he knew by heart. But a sudden flash of color caught his eye, making him glance up. And there he was—Till, leaning against the row of lockers like a vision.

Till was beautiful in a way that pulled at something deep in Ivan’s chest. His hair, tousled and kissed by the sun, framed his face in soft waves. A red lollipop twirled between his lips, catching the light, a playful contrast to the serious look in his eyes as he focused on whatever he was sketching in that battered notebook. The headphones draped around his neck, silent but ever-present, hinted at a world only he could hear, one that Ivan could never touch but desperately wanted to be a part of.

The noise around Ivan faded into a dull hum. He felt his friends’ voices grow more distant, like an echo in a tunnel, until there was only the pounding in his ears. It was irrational, the way his heart sped up whenever Till was in sight, how it clawed for attention, whispering his name like a secret prayer.

“Hey, Ivan, you with us, man?” one of his friends laughed, nudging his shoulder. The touch jolted Ivan back into reality, his smirk snapping back into place.

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, a little too quickly. But his eyes found Till once more, watching as the lollipop spun lazily, catching the light in a way that seemed almost defiant.