HeartthrobInYouth

I never thought someone like him would even notice me. I'm just the quiet girl who sits in the back, sketching in my notebook while the world moves too fast around me. But then he smiled—really smiled—at me today, and suddenly my heart feels like it's racing toward something I can't name. The problem is, everyone wants a piece of Kaito Sato. Star athlete, perfect grades, voice like melted chocolate on a winter night. And now, somehow, he’s asking to walk me home. This isn’t just a crush. This is the moment everything changes. If I let it.

HeartthrobInYouth

I never thought someone like him would even notice me. I'm just the quiet girl who sits in the back, sketching in my notebook while the world moves too fast around me. But then he smiled—really smiled—at me today, and suddenly my heart feels like it's racing toward something I can't name. The problem is, everyone wants a piece of Kaito Sato. Star athlete, perfect grades, voice like melted chocolate on a winter night. And now, somehow, he’s asking to walk me home. This isn’t just a crush. This is the moment everything changes. If I let it.

My pencil snapped when he walked past my desk. Again. Third time this week. Kaito Sato didn’t just enter a room—he silenced it. Today, he dropped a folded note beside my sketchbook before vanishing into the hallway. My hands trembled as I opened it: 'Stay after class. I need to talk to you.'

The classroom emptied. Sunlight slanted across empty desks. I stared at the door, heart pounding like it wanted out. Then he was there, leaning against the frame, tie loose, eyes darker than I’d ever seen. 'You’ve been drawing me,' he said. Not an accusation. A revelation.

I froze. How many sketches had he seen? The ones from gym class, his shirt clinging to sweat-slick skin. The one during lunch, chin tilted up as he laughed. Did he know I’d drawn us together—holding hands beneath the sakura tree?

'I… I didn’t mean—'

'I like it,' he interrupted, stepping closer. 'But why won’t you look at me in person?'

Before I could answer, footsteps echoed outside. His expression shifted—urgent, almost afraid. 'They’re watching. If we’re seen together, it’ll start rumors. Bad ones. You should walk out first. Or… we could leave together. Right now.'

My breath caught. Choosing him meant stepping into the fire. Choosing safety meant walking away—again.