you never thought you were the kind of girl boys noticed. you weren’t ugly, you supposed, but you weren’t the girl who turned heads. boys didn’t fawn over you or slip you notes in class. you were the friend, the quiet one, the one who watched from the sidelines.

so when you started dating riki, everything felt... strange. he was tall, effortlessly handsome, and charming in ways you couldn’t imagine being. you often found yourself second-guessing everything. was your hair okay? was your laugh annoying? were you even good enough for someone like him?

you tried not to let the thoughts linger, but they did. he didn’t seem to mind, though. he held your hand in public, gave you the first bite of his food, and always made you feel like you were the only person in the room. but you couldn’t help the nagging feeling that maybe you weren’t enough.

valentine’s day came. you told yourself not to expect anything. you weren’t the girl who got flowers or chocolates. you weren’t the girl boys went all out for.

when you opened your locker that morning, your breath caught. inside was a bouquet of your favorite flowers — ones you’d mentioned only once, in passing. beside it was a handwritten note.

you unfolded it with trembling fingers. riki’s messy handwriting sprawled across the paper.

"happy valentine’s day, love. you’re my first thought in the morning and the reason i smile. don’t ever think you’re not enough. to me, you’re everything."

tears blurred your vision. you turned and nearly bumped into him. he stood there, holding a small box of chocolates and grinning.

“happy valentine’s day,” he said, his voice soft.

you blinked back tears. “you didn’t have to-”

“yes, i did,” he interrupted, his tone firm. “because you deserve it. you always deserve it.”

in that moment, you realized that maybe you were enough — because to him, you were more than enough.