It was Wednesday morning, and Iris felt utterly drained. The intensity of yesterday's P.E. class lingered in every muscle; even the smallest movement sent a dull ache through her body. The morning periods slipped by faster than she expected. She tried to concentrate, truly tried—but the soreness kept pulling her attention away, wrapping her thoughts in exhaustion.
By lunchtime, she could barely keep her eyes open. Iris entered the classroom, pulled out her desk, rested her head on it, and closed her eyes. Just a short nap before French class—that was all she wanted.
Then someone tapped her back.
"Iris," Hazel whispered, leaning closer. "Look over there. Noah's sitting all by himself. Why don't you go sit next to him? This would be the second time, right?"
Iris's eyes widened, heat rushing to her face. The idea made her nervous—but she liked it. A little too much. She waited until the teacher entered and everyone settled down. Then, before she could overthink it, she stood up and quickly took the seat beside Noah.
He was clearly caught off guard. He stared at her for a second, then turned away, his expression carefully blank. Noah was never the type to show what he felt. Iris didn't mind. Her heart, however, was racing so hard she thought it might burst.
The lesson began immediately. The teacher spoke quickly, and Iris found herself unable—both by lack of time and courage—to start a conversation. As she copied the notes, she realized Isla was sitting right in front of Noah. Iris chose not to pay her any attention; dealing with her would only drain what little energy she had left.
"May I take this? Well, I don't care—I'll take it anyway," Isla said suddenly, snatching Noah's pen before he could react.
She already had the same pen. Iris noticed that instantly. Isla just wanted his attention. Iris sighed inwardly and kept writing.
A few seconds later, Isla turned back to him. "Thank you!"
No response.
It was as if nothing had happened—no pen taken, no gratitude offered. Embarrassment flashed across Isla's face.
"Noah, are you listening? I just thanked you. What do people usually say when they're thanked?" she pressed. "Hey, Noah."
Still nothing.
She finally turned to Iris. "Iris, please—can you make him talk? Ask him what he says when someone thanks him."
Iris hesitated, not wanting to make a scene. Still, she leaned slightly toward Noah." Noah… Isla just thanked you. Aren't you supposed to say something? Like 'you're welcome'?"
Noah looked at Iris, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He chuckled softly." Do I have to say something? I choose silence."
Isla's expression hardened. Without another word, she turned away. Iris couldn't help it—she laughed quietly. Seeing Isla like that was far too amusing.
The bell rang. The teacher announced a short break at their desks. Iris saw her chance.
"So," she said softly, turning to Noah, "did you memorize all the Rubik's cube techniques?"
"Not yet," he replied.
She watched him solve the cube effortlessly. "Then what's left?"
Noah laughed. "Seriously? You know I memorized all of them. We talked about this last time, didn't we?" He glanced at her. "What—are you nervous because you couldn't find something to talk about?"
Her face burned. It felt as though he'd read her mind. She really hadn't known what to say.
The session ended quickly. Iris left the classroom with Hazel, who immediately started teasing her about her "romantic French class." Iris brushed it off, mentioning Isla's annoying behavior instead.
On her walk home, her thoughts drifted back to Noah. At first, it had been just a simple crush—a quiet boy who didn't talk much. But now, she caught herself staring at him during class, wanting to talk to him, longing to sit beside him. Somewhere along the way, she had fallen—hard.
His actions could make her smile, make her worry, even hurt her without meaning to. When he noticed her nervousness earlier, it felt as though he had already discovered her secret. She knew she would tell him one day—but him figuring it out on his own terrified her. With everyone else, Iris was straightforward, fearless. With Noah, she became shy, her hands trembling, her eyes avoiding his.
Standing in front of her mirror, she sighed." Why am I even thinking about this?" she murmured. "This feels weird."
The next day, Iris entered the classroom and slipped into the seat beside Hazel, her mind still tangled in yesterday's memories. She barely noticed the chatter around her until someone called her name.
"Iris."
She looked up to see Theodore—Noah's best friend—turning around in his seat, resting his arms casually on the back of his chair. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
"So," he began, clearly unable to contain himself, "what did you think of yesterday? You must've liked sitting next to him, right? Did you talk about anything?"
The eagerness on his face was so obvious that Iris burst out laughing." Theo, I didn't know you were capable of making that expression," she teased. "And no, we didn't talk that much. I honestly thought he would tell you about it. I mean—you're best friends, aren't you?"
Theo rolled his eyes dramatically." As you very well know, our Noah hates people sticking their noses into his business. I guess he didn't see any reason to talk to me about you two. Get it?"
Iris lifted her head slightly, glancing toward the door." Speak of the devil."
Noah had just entered the classroom. When he noticed Iris and Theo talking together, surprise flickered across his face—brief, but unmistakable. Still, without saying anything, he walked past them and took the seat next to James.
Iris leaned closer to Theo, lowering her voice." He's really weird," she admitted. "I don't understand what he's thinking at all. I caught him staring at me once, but then the way he acts around me is completely different from how he treats everyone else." She hesitated before adding, "I'm basically the only girl he interacts with in class. I don't know if he likes me or not—and it's driving me crazy."
Theo stayed silent for a moment, his gaze drifting toward Noah." Look," he finally said, "you've got two options. First, you wait for him to be clear about his feelings—which will probably take forever. He's smart, yeah, but when it comes to this stuff? He's painfully dense."
He continued, "Second option: you confess. You ask him directly how he feels. Simple as that."
Iris frowned." You know how hard confessing is for me. And waiting forever isn't exactly great either." She sighed. "Maybe we should wait a little. Maybe he'll notice… I don't know. Noah is just—really weird."
Theo smirked." And you're even weirder for falling in love with him. Of all the boys out there, you chose the hardest one to deal with." He shook his head. "Good luck, Iris."
The morning classes flew by, and by lunchtime, the students were informed that there would be no evening classes due to a club project. Iris had never joined a club—her days already felt crowded enough—and today was no exception. She headed home earlier than usual, hoping she could at least get some rest.
But Noah stayed on her mind the entire time.
Theo's words replayed over and over in her head, refusing to let her relax. By the time evening came, she called Hazel, needing to talk things through. What started as a simple conversation slowly turned into planning.
"Alright," Hazel said seriously. "Lucas and I will observe him. Like, really observe. If you walk past him, we'll watch his reaction. If he looks at you without realizing it—that kind of thing. Theo will try to get information from him too."
She paused before adding, "As for you… what if you start avoiding him?"
Iris stiffened." Avoid him?"
"Completely," Hazel emphasized. "Don't sit near him. Don't look at him during lessons—because if you do, you're done for. If he's unsure about his feelings, this will push him to realize them. You need to make it obvious that you've given up on him."
Silence followed.
"Last time this happened," Hazel continued gently, "do you remember how he reacted?"
Iris thought hard before answering" I… don't really remember. I genuinely believed I'd given up back then, so I didn't pay attention to him at all." She exhaled slowly. "That's why I need to know this time. For sure."
The two girls stayed on the phone late into the night, dividing tasks like it was the most important mission in the world. And to Iris, it was.
********************************************************************************************
The plan worked flawlessly. For two whole days, everything went exactly as intended. And before Iris realized it, the weekend had arrived.
On Sunday morning, she woke up lazily and reached for her phone. April 13th.Her heart skipped.
Wait… doesn't that mean Noah's birthday is tomorrow?
"Oh my God—how did I forget?" she whispered, panic rushing through her. She sat up, nerves twisting in her chest. What was she supposed to get him? Her thoughts raced—until reality hit her all at once.
She was avoiding him.
What was the point of their plan if she suddenly showed up with a birthday gift? It would ruin everything. With a heavy sigh, Iris forced herself out of bed and went through her usual Sunday routine, pretending—convincingly—that tomorrow meant nothing at all.
Monday came too quickly.
At school, she joined Hazel as usual and quietly told her that today was Noah's birthday. Still, she was determined not to break the plan or waste all the effort they'd put into it. She would act like it had nothing to do with her.
By lunchtime, Iris headed to the cafeteria. That's when she noticed a couple sitting together, laughing softly. Hazel leaned in and whispered that the boy had confessed that morning—and they were dating now.
Iris's mind went blank.
Images flooded her thoughts: herself standing in front of Noah, confessing, hearing him say he felt the same. Her chest tightened, and suddenly everything became clear.
I'll confess today.
Before class, she turned to Hazel. "Theo's second option is the best one," she said quietly. "It's the only way I'll know how he feels."
Hazel blinked, caught off guard. "Iris… are you sure? You won't regret it, right?" Her voice softened. "I don't want to see you get hurt. You know that. But I'll support you—no matter what."
Iris exhaled and squeezed Hazel's hand." Thank you. Really. That means everything to me." She managed a small smile. "I think today is the day."
Hazel hugged her tightly and whispered, "Good luck."
The biology session passed without incident. Iris barely noticed the time until the clock struck three. She had already told Lucas about the plan, and with a subtle gesture, she signaled him to take James away—leaving her alone with Noah in front of the classroom.
Noah stood by the railing, watching the students below. When he heard her voice, he turned.
"Hey, Noah… I've got something to say."
"Mhm," he replied calmly. "What is it?"
Her heart pounded so loudly she was sure he could hear it."Uhm… well… today is your birthday, so… yeah. Happy birthday, I guess."
He tilted his head slightly." Is that it?"
She lifted her gaze, courage trembling in her hands." No. Not yet." She swallowed. "Noah… I think you already know that I have a crush on you, right?"
He nodded, a smile forming on his lips, about to speak—
And she ran.
Embarrassment crashed over her like a wave. She bolted down the hallway, certain she might actually die from it. She spotted Lucas first.
He asked with his eyes, How did it go?
"I'm screwed," she muttered, then hurried away.
When she finally found Hazel, the tears spilled before she could stop them. She threw her arms around her, crying uncontrollably. It was overwhelming—terrifying—but also strangely relieving. She had done it.
Back in the classroom, Iris avoided Noah completely, as if nothing had happened. She took her seat and asked Lucas to sit beside her. Despite the chilly air outside, she felt unbearably hot. She stood and opened the window.
As she turned back, her eyes met Noah's.
He waved.
Her breath caught." Me?" she asked, stunned.
He laughed softly. "Who else would I wave to?"
Her face burned red. She quickly looked away and returned to her seat.
The teacher began explaining the lesson, but Iris couldn't focus. Nothing made sense. Noah noticed.
"Iris," he whispered, "you okay? If you don't understand something, you can ask me."
She stared at him. Usually, she was the one asking questions—but now, he was concerned about her. Hesitantly, she told him what she didn't understand. Noah explained it slowly, patiently.
She understood the lesson at last.
But what lingered in her mind wasn't biology—it was him.
The way he had changed. The way he looked at her. The way he smiled.
Maybe, she thought, if I hadn't run away… I would've heard what he was about to say.
That night, Iris returned home exhausted, her body tired but her heart wide awake. She was in love—there was no denying it. And Noah… he remained a mystery she couldn't quite figure out.
And that scared her just as much as it thrilled her.
********************************************************************************************