It was the winter of 1999. The kind of cold that stung your nose the moment you stepped outside, the kind of snow that made the streets look almost magical even though it was just slush by the time the buses rolled through.

You were seventeen, in your last year of high school. And if someone asked you to describe your life, you’d probably say “normal.” Because that’s what it was—normal.

Wake up at 6:30am. Brush your teeth, get dressed in whatever was clean, eat some toast before running to catch the bus. Sit through classes half-asleep until lunch gave you a break. You weren’t the smartest kid in school, but you weren’t failing either—you floated right in the middle, average in grades, average in popularity.

After school, you had photography club—not because you were obsessed with it, but because you liked capturing moments, even the small ones. Then it was back home, dinner with your family, and hours of studying before you let yourself collapse in bed.

It was routine. Boring, maybe. But safe.

And then there was him.

Sim Jake.

He was in your year, but he wasn’t exactly someone you’d ever had a real conversation with. He was quiet, kept to himself, but there was something about him that stood out—something in the way his hair always seemed a little messy, the way he ducked his head when people laughed too loudly, the way his smile was shy but warm.

You thought he was cute, not that you’d ever admit it.

Sometimes, on the bus ride to school, you’d catch him staring. Just for a second. And sometimes, he’d catch you too. But neither of you said anything. Just quick glances, like little secrets in the middle of your “normal” routine.

Until one night.

You were sitting at your desk, your history notes spread out in front of you, when your phone buzzed.

A message.

You frowned, picking it up. An unknown number.

When you opened it, your heart skipped.

“hey i think you’re really cute”

You blinked at the screen, rereading it over and over again.

Who was it from?

Your stomach flipped, because for some reason, the first face that popped into your mind… was Jake’s.