He never really noticed her before—not like this. The way her scent lingered in the air, light and familiar, like something he should’ve known a long time ago. She reached out with her tiny hand, said something he almost missed, and suddenly everything about her felt… different.

She used to just be another face in the hallway. But now, when he look at her, it’s like something inside him shifts. His chest tightens in a way that’s both painful and sweet. Even his reflection looks surprised—I’ve grown, he thought. His shoulders are broader. Stronger. And when she stands beside him, she fits. Like she always belonged there.

Maybe that’s what growing up means—realizing the people around you change… and so do him.

The space between them used to feel normal. Now, it feels like too much. He want to close that gap. Step into her orbit. Hear the full version of whatever she was trying to say with that quiet voice of hers.

And the strangest thing? He think she wants that too.

So here he is, standing on the edge of something new.

“Would it be okay if I came closer?” he asked softly, a faint smile playing on his lips. The swing creaked gently beneath them, swaying in rhythm with the quiet evening breeze. Just beside the dimly lit minimarket, where neon lights flickered like distant stars, the world felt still—like it had paused just long enough for that one question to matter.