The hallways were quieter than usual. Most students had already left, their laughter and chatter fading into the background like a distant song. Ava lingered at her locker, shoving books around, trying not to draw attention.
And then she noticed him.
Noah Reed, leaning casually against the wall with headphones dangling around his neck. Hair messy in that perfectly chaotic way, sleeves slightly rolled up, sneakers just a little too clean for a day like this. The sight made her chest tighten, her thoughts scatter.
"Hey," he said, voice low but warm, carrying that easy, effortless energy that always made her heart skip.
"Hey," she replied, fumbling with her locker like the combination lock was a cruel puzzle. Her fingers trembled slightly, though she hoped it wasn't noticeable.
A pause. A quiet moment where neither moved nor spoke.
Just looked.
Ava's mind was doing gymnastics. Don't look too eager. Don't stare. Breathe. Okay, breathe. Why is he looking at me like that?
Finally, Noah cleared his throat. "I… uh… wanted to say thanks. For today. For… you know. Dealing with me and the… chaos."
Ava blinked, caught off guard. Chaos. Him. Somehow, that word carried more weight coming from him. She tried to say something clever, something confident—but all that came out was a soft, "It's fine."
"No, it's not," he said, tilting his head just slightly. "It's more than fine. You… you make things less boring. You make… school… better."
Her chest tightened. "Better?" she repeated softly, barely believing it.
He nodded, glancing down at the floor before meeting her eyes again. "Yeah. I like… I like working with you. With you. You get it, you know?"
Ava's heartbeat sped up. You get it… he notices her. He notices her sketches, her careful measuring, the way she tries not to overthink everything, and somehow, he likes it.
"I… um… like that too," she admitted, feeling her face flush. Words tumbled out faster than she expected, but there was no taking them back. Her cheeks were burning, her hands trembling slightly as she clutched her books to her chest.
Noah's grin softened, just a little, and his gaze lingered. For a moment, it felt like time had stopped—just the two of them in the quiet hallway, a space where nobody else existed.
Then he shifted slightly, pretending to adjust his backpack. "Anyway… I should probably go. Before someone sees us standing here… looking all… uh…"
"Flustered?" Ava offered, surprising herself.
He froze for a split second, then laughed softly. "Exactly. Flustered."
They both smiled awkwardly, caught between wanting to linger and knowing they couldn't.
Noah walked away, giving her a small wave before disappearing around the corner. Ava leaned against her locker, letting out a slow breath she didn't realize she was holding.
Her heart was still racing, her cheeks still warm, and her mind replayed every detail:
The way his eyes had softened when he looked at her
The way he had called her attention to the chaos in a gentle, playful way
The almost-flirtatious tension that had hovered in the air
It wasn't a confession. Not yet. But the almost—almost meant everything.
Ava opened her sketchbook and started doodling again, each line more deliberate than the last. She drew two tiny figures standing side by side, one messy-haired, one quiet, both smiling at the world.
A smile tugged at her lips despite herself.
Maybe "almost" was just the beginning.
Maybe the next time, they wouldn't hesitate.
And for the first time all semester, Ava realized she didn't want her world to be quiet, safe, or invisible anymore.
She wanted a little chaos.
She wanted him.