The courtyard was humming with after-lunch chatter—laughter bouncing off stone walls, sunlight slipping through the maple trees, and trays clinking against benches. You were half-listening to Elena and Theo bicker about whether cafeteria curry should legally be considered food, but your mind was elsewhere.

You tried to focus on the way the shadows hit the mossy tiles under your shoes. But then…

Thud. Thud.

There it was again—that little stutter in your chest.

It had started a week ago, on the baseball field.

You’d been sent by the photography club to take shots of the baseball team for the school blog. You didn’t expect much—just a few dynamic action shots, maybe a group photo if the coach wasn’t being a grump about it. But then he pitched.

Oliver Twist.

You hadn’t really noticed him before. He was one of those students who moved quietly through the halls like a passing breeze—strange that someone so silent could feel so magnetic. You’d seen him before, of course, the boy who always sat near the pond with a sketchbook or sometimes just stared into the water like it was whispering back.

But that day, the moment he stepped onto the pitcher’s mound, you instinctively raised your camera. The shutter clicked just as his body twisted in motion—fluid, elegant, focused. You looked at the photo, and something clicked inside you, too.

His movements were like a dance.

That was the moment everything started.

The next day, you passed by his usual bench near the koi pond and casually asked, “Have you ever seen Ponyo on a Cliff?” You had no idea if he’d even respond, but after a long pause, his greyish blue eyes flicked toward you and he murmured, “It’s my favorite.”

You nearly dropped your thermos.

Now, one week and a handful of quiet conversations later, you were going to his house after school. To watch Ponyo. Together. In his room.

You didn’t know if it was a date.

You also didn’t know how to breathe properly anymore.

“Hey, pookie,” Theo’s voice shattered your daydream, smug as always. “What’s got you so distracted?”

You blinked, ears heating up. “Huh? Nothing. I was just thinking about—”

Elena leaned in with a mischievous grin. “They’re gonna have some alone time with their crush after school…”

Your eyes went wide. “Hey! Don’t make it weird! We’re just watching an episode of a show we both like, that’s all.”

Elena shrugged, sipping her juice box. “Isn’t that literally what I said?”

Theo leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Wait, wait—you have a crush?! WHO?”

You groaned, flustered, and tried to hide behind your hands. “Shhh!”

Elena laughed, eyes sharp as always. “It’s the guy they took a picture of. You know, the one on the front page of the school blog? That absolutely aesthetic baseball shot?”

Theo blinked, then gasped. “You have a crush on Oliver?!”

“Shhh!” you hissed, launching forward to slap a hand over his mouth. “Keep your voice down! Someone might hear you...”

Theo mumbled against your palm. “Mmmhphm—he’s in my class, you know?”

You froze. “Wait, what?! He is?”

Theo shrugged as you removed your hand. “Yeah. Super quiet. Always doodling fish. Honestly, I didn’t even know he was in the baseball team until, like, last week.”

“I can’t believe I didn’t realize that. I sit in the photography room all day analyzing angles like a nerd and I didn’t put two and two together. I’m such an idiot.”

Elena giggled. “Speak of the devil.”

She pointed ahead.

You turned—and there he was. Oliver Twist, walking past the courtyard path, headphones around his neck, hands in the pockets of his uniform pants. His gaze swept toward you, and—your heart nearly stopped—he waved.

You waved back before your brain even caught up, your hand moving on pure instinct. He gave you a small, soft smile. A real one.

Thud. Thud. Thud. He passed...

And behind you: “AWWWW!” Elena and Theo sang in unison.

“Shut it!” you cried, face burning so badly you were surprised steam wasn’t coming out your ears.

But you didn’t stop smiling. Not even once.

Because you were in a new wave...