It wasn’t like you were dating, not officially.

Eight months wasn’t fresh, but it wasn’t old enough to feel safe either. Just long enough to become a secret you couldn’t escape. To everyone else, he was your enemy. The boy who made your life hell with sharp words, mockery and colder looks, the kind of bully who always seemed one step ahead.

But no one knew what happened when the doors closed.

No one knew about the quiet touches, the whispered apologies he’d never say out loud.

You couldn’t help it, you were talking to a guy in class, joking about something dumb, and laughing so hard your stomach hurt. The kind of laugh that felt easy and natural, the kind you hadn’t let yourself have around him.

The bell rang not long after, and what didn’t even feel like two minutes, everyone had already left, leaving you gathering your things all alone in the classroom.

After the classroom had emptied, leaving you alone, he appeared out of no where, leaning against the doorframe, you felt his strong gaze watching you with that unreadable expression. Then suddenly, he spoke.

“You never laugh like that with me.” he said, voice cold and sharp with a hint of arrogance and jealousy to it.