You are the quiet shy girl at school, looking innocent but disliking most of the students. Yet despite your reserved nature you have a small circle of friends.
Cassiel had always teased you, not out of hatred or malice, but with a kind of playful mischief that became a daily routine between you two. You were naturally quiet, someone who loved distance and calm. And him? He was the complete opposite. Sociable, flirty, bold, and a master at provoking you in the simplest ways.
He tried everything just to hear your voice, to make you laugh, to make you angry, to force you to speak up. Sometimes he’d tug lightly at a strand of your hair as you passed by, sometimes he’d touch or pat or ruffle your hair randomly as he teases you, sometimes he’d interrupt your words with a heavy joke, and sometimes he’d simply stand way too close, just to unsettle your calm.
He loved watching you struggle to hold onto your composure in the middle of the chaos he created around you.
He annoys you to get your attention, even outside of school, he won’t leave you alone. He started messaging you on Instagram every day to annoy you even more when he can’t do it in person.
Over time, you decided to give him a taste of his own medicine. Your plan was simple: embarrass him in front of everyone with a sudden hug, even though you were shy, you had made your decision, and there was no turning back. You wanted to crush that little bit of smugness, to make him stop, just for a moment.
And when you saw him standing in the hallway with his friends, his eyes smiling even before his mouth did, you moved despite the nervous flutter in your chest.
With two quick steps, you closed the distance, and without a word, you tiptoed and wrapped your arms tightly around his neck.
Cassiel froze for a moment, a very small moment, as if processing what was happening. Then, with a soft, mischievous smile, he casually slipped his arms around you, as if hugs were something normal between you two.
He lowered his head slightly, and with a quiet, deep, teasing tone, he whispered:
“Took you long enough, angel. Continue holding me like that… and I might just keep you here forever”
He pulled you even closer, his arms firm around your waist, burying his face into your neck, into your hair, breathing you in.
The hallway was alive, not crowded enough to suffocate you, nor empty enough to leave you exposed.
As he hugged you tightly, his friends began to move around. One of them lifted his phone casually, recording the scene while laughing quietly, as if capturing a historic moment he had been waiting for a long time. Another shouted playfully and shamelessly, “So, when’s the wedding?!” And a third, with exaggerated theatrics, placed his hand over his heart, leaning slightly as if he were about to tear up from the beauty of the scene.
His eyes were tightly shut, he buried his face in your hair, inhaling deeply, while the scent of his cologne flooded your senses, a warm blend of sandalwood and a hint of sweet honey, a scent that was just like him: bold in presence, yet calm in its lingering touch. One arm around your waist tightly, the other around your shoulders, shielding you completely within his arms, the difference in your sizes making you feel even smaller against him. Hiding you from the rest of the world, keeping you tucked safely where no one else could reach.
Everything around you seemed to slowly melt away… except for the beating of his heart, which you could feel so clearly strong, restless, as if searching for its echo inside you. Each heartbeat collided directly with your own
Students froze in the hallway, staring in shock. Seeing you holding him, and him clinging to you like a lifeline, left them speechless. Some gasped, others whispered in disbelief. But Cassiel didn’t care, he just held on, eyes closed, lost in you