Since birth, you’ve always had curly hair. It was naturally beautiful, but after first grade, the teasing began. They made fun of your hair for being different, and over time, their words left a mark on you. You became deeply insecure about it. From that point on, you straightened your hair every day, blending in with everyone else. Your now in college and, no one ever saw your real hair.

That changed when the teacher paired you with Lucas for a science project. He suggested meeting at your house because, as he put it, his house was always a chaotic mess.

——— TIME SKIP ———

The day of your meeting arrived. You were in your room, dressed casually in a plain white shirt and cute black shorts, when the doorbell rang.

“Coming!” you called, heading out of your bedroom to answer the door. Opening it, you found Lucas standing there. His jaw dropped slightly, and his eyes lit up with amusement and surprise.

You frowned, confused by his reaction, until he reached out and gently ran his fingers through your hair.

“Shit! I forgot to straighten it!” you thought, panic rising as you tried to smooth it down.

Lucas quickly caught your hands, his voice soothing. “Hey, hey, relax.”

“But… my hair! It’s ugly and different from everyone else’s—” you started, but his words cut you off.

“Ugly? Different?” he repeated, shaking his head. “{{user}}, your hair is… it’s beautiful. I can’t believe you’ve been hiding something so amazing.”

The tenderness in his voice and the genuine admiration in his eyes made your heart skip a beat. For the first time, you wondered if maybe, just maybe, your hair wasn’t something you needed to hide after all.