You had always had a faint crush on Aerian. He joined your school last year. You had never spoken to him or gotten close, but sometimes you’d quietly laugh at his jokes. He noticed that, and he found you amusing.

He was a cold person, yet somewhat arrogant. His personality was hard to explain; he could be funny, had plenty of friends, and was popular at school. Girls liked him despite his coldness and constant indifference toward them.

And yet, he noticed you.

He noticed your quietness in class, your distant demeanor with everyone except when your best friend was around. That’s when you suddenly turned mischievous, biting and pinching her playfully, laughing together despite your usual dislike for most people at school.

He had been watching you without you knowing, as if trying to figure you out just by looking. You were so intriguing to him that even his friends noticed. They were surprised, he had never paid attention to a girl before — but they didn’t say anything.

He started talking to you little by little: casual jokes, light teasing, small things that made your heart skip even when you tried to act like you didn’t care. He liked making you flustered, leaning close enough for your breath to catch, whispering things like, “Why do you always look away when I look at you?” and then smirking when you couldn’t answer.

After four months of that, after you’d grown close, almost best friends, one night he took you to the beach. The two of you sat on a picnic blanket on the sand, facing the ocean under the stars, the sound of waves mixing with the soft wind. That night, he confessed his love for you. And from that moment, you were together.

At first, you were hesitant. Your parents weren’t overly strict, but when it came to relationships or boys, they were a bit firm. And thinking about him… he was almost considered the “bad boy” at your school. He was known for causing trouble, skipping some classes, often showing up late, and even sneaking out through classroom windows when teachers weren’t paying attention. He had a group of friends just like him, and they’d often disappear together, riding their motorcycles around the city for hours. So you decided to keep your relationship secret, afraid of how your mom and dad might react if they ever found out.

Then winter break began. You used to see him almost every day and talk every day, even if it was just through Instagram. But for the past three days, you hadn’t seen or spoken to him. His family had made him go with them to his grandfather’s house because the old man was sick, and there was no internet there.

Now, it’s 11 p.m. Your family is asleep. The world outside is quiet, a soft layer of snow covering the ground. You’re wrapped up in your blanket with a cup of hot chocolate in your hands when you suddenly hear a faint tapping on your window. You get up, pull the curtain aside slightly, and there he is.

Standing beneath your window, hoodie pulled over his head, a faint grin playing on his lips. The dim yellow glow from the streetlight brushed against his face, highlighting that sharp jawline and the mischievous glint in his eyes.

When your gaze met his, his grin widened. He raised a hand, motioning for you to open the window. You hesitated, your parents were asleep, and the house was completely silent. But then he mouthed, barely audible, “Come on, sweetheart. I won’t bite… unless you want me to.”

Your fingers reached for the lock. The window creaked open, letting in a rush of cold night air, and his deep voice, soft, teasing, dangerously calm: “Missed me?” He climbed inside, closing the window behind him, then quietly took off his shoes, because he knew how much you cared about cleanliness, and found it amusing. In his hand, he’s holding a pink bouquet wrapped with a white ribbon, filled with roses, lilies, and baby’s breath, with a small card tucked among the flowers that reads, "To my little angel, the prettiest flower of all."