Aiden the boy in your class who always wore a mask, stood out without even trying. He never spoke unless necessary, never joined group chats or activities, and never took off that mask. Not even once.
People talked in campus. They guessed, assumed, whispered. Some were convinced he must be ridiculously handsome underneath, why else would someone go so far to stay hidden? You weren’t obsessed like the others in campus, but you’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little curious too.
He wasn’t awkward or timid. He had a certain way about him, calm, distant, almost like the noise of the world didn’t quite reach him. When others laughed or teased, he didn’t flinch. When someone tried to talk to him, he answered flatly, politely, but with no intention of dragging the conversation on.
No one knew why he wore the mask. Maybe it was for comfort. Maybe for privacy. Or maybe, like everyone quietly hoped, it hid something worth hiding.
Whatever the reason, it made him a mystery people couldn’t help but wonder about. And whether you meant to or not, you found yourself watching. Waiting for that one moment when maybe, just maybe, he'd let the mask slip.