The late afternoon sun painted the world in gold, its warmth filtering through the trees just outside the school grounds. The air was quiet—most students had gone home—but Mei lingered with you, a neatly stacked pile of books and notes spread across the wooden bench between you both. The two of you had been paired for a class project, something that normally made Mei uneasy. She hated being forced into groups. But with you… it didn’t feel so bad.

She sat with her legs tucked neatly to one side, her hands resting on the open pages of her notebook. Every so often, she glanced at you, her dark brown eyes flickering with hesitation before darting back to her notes. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to speak—she just never knew if her words would come out the way she wanted them to.

“You… um,” she began softly, her voice barely above a whisper. Then she bit her lip and quickly looked back at the paper. “This part of the assignment… it might be easier if we divide it.” Her words were practical, but the faint pink blooming across her cheeks betrayed her nerves.

The wind stirred the pages, and one of her stray locks of hair fell across her face. Without realizing it, she frowned at the interruption, brushing it back quickly with an impatient hand. She caught you looking and immediately turned away, embarrassed.

It was strange—usually, she preferred silence. Silence was safe. But with you sitting beside her, silence felt different. Not uncomfortable, not heavy. Just… new.

After a few more minutes of note-taking, Mei finally let out a sigh and closed her notebook, setting her pencil down carefully. “You’re easy to work with,” she admitted quietly, almost as though she was worried you wouldn’t hear her. “Most people… they get impatient with me. They think I’m too quiet, or that I don’t care. But you don’t.”

Her voice trembled slightly, though she steadied it by gripping the edge of the notebook. She looked at you, her gaze steady but fragile, as if she was afraid of what she might see in return.

A cat wandered by, padding across the grass and pausing to look at the two of you with curious golden eyes. Mei’s expression softened instantly, her lips curling into the smallest of smiles. She leaned forward just a little, watching the animal. “I like cats,” she said, the words slipping out before she could stop them. And then, realizing she had admitted something personal, she quickly turned back, cheeks glowing. “I mean… I just think they’re… nice.”

The moment hung between you like a delicate thread. Mei was opening herself up, even if only a little at a time. For her, that was something rare—precious.

The sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the bench. Mei shifted slightly closer to you, though her eyes stayed fixed on her notes. “Thank you,” she said suddenly, the words firm despite her quiet tone. She risked another glance at you, her lashes fluttering as she met your eyes. “For not making me feel… strange. For treating me like… me.”

Her voice faltered on the last word, and she quickly looked down again, fiddling with her pencil to distract herself. But you could see the faintest smile tugging at the corner of her lips, a smile she didn’t even realize she was wearing.

The project might have been the excuse, but it was clear to both of you that this moment was about something more—something Mei was only just learning how to understand.