A few weeks passed.
Not in a dramatic way. Just— small changes, He stayed.
Every day.
Same seat.
Same quiet "hey."
No pressure.
No pushing.
We talked more.
About random things.
Class.
People.
Stupid jokes.
"You definitely judge people," he said one day.
"I don't."
"You do."
"I don't."
"You literally look at people and then look away like you've already decided something."
I glanced at him.
"I have standards, and also i don't like people."
He laughed.
"I like that."
"You would."
"Yeah," he said, looking at me. "I would."
Moments like that, they stayed.
And slowly—
I stopped holding myself back so much.
Not fully, But enough.
One afternoon, we stayed back after class.
Not for any reason.
Just—
didn't leave.
The classroom was quieter.
Almost empty.
Sunlight coming in through the windows.
"You've changed," he said suddenly.
I looked up.
"How?"
"You talk to me now."
"I always did."
"Not like this."
I didn't answer.
Because he wasn't wrong.
"And you've changed too," I said.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"How?"
"You don't annoy me as much."
He looked offended.
"As much?"
I shrugged.
"Don't get used to it." he chuckled.
"I won't."
Silence.
Not awkward.
"Ivy," he said after a moment.
"Hmm?"
"Can I ask you something?"
I sighed lightly.
"You always do."
"Yeah, but this one—" he paused, "this one matters."
That made me look at him properly.
"Okay…"
He didn't speak immediately.
Like he was actually thinking.
Which was new.
"Be with me," he said finally.
I blinked.
"What?"
"Be my girlfriend."
The air shifted.
Everything felt too still. I looked away.
Because - this wasn't small.
"I don't know," I said quietly.
"Why?"
I exhaled.
"Because… things with you aren't exactly simple."
"They are now."
"Are they?" I asked.
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stepped a little closer.
Not too much.
Just enough to make me notice.
"I like you," he said.
"I know."
"No," he shook his head slightly.
"I really like you and i would do everything to make you happy."
My chest tightened.
"Ivy… I'm not playing with you."
That line—
it should've made me pause.
It did.
But not enough.
"I don't want to regret this," I said.
"You won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do," he said quietly. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
Silence.
And for a moment—
I believed him.
"Okay," I said.
He froze.
"Okay?" he repeated.
"Okay."
A small smile broke across his face.
Not forced.
Not controlled.
Real.
And for some reason that made my heart race more than anything else.
We stood there for a second.
Neither of us moving.
Just—
looking at each other.
And then—
he stepped closer.
Slowly.
Like he was giving me time to stop him.
I didn't.
His hand brushed against mine first.
Light, Careful.
Like he was checking. Then he held it.
My breath caught slightly.
"Ivy…" he said softly.
I looked up at him.
And that was it.
That moment.
That pause.
Where everything felt like it could change.
Or stop.
Or disappear.
"Let's continue where I left off last time" he said smirking.
He leaned in slowly.
Not rushing.
Not assuming.
Waiting.
And I—
I didn't move away.
So he kissed me.
Soft.
Careful.
Like he meant it.
"That okay?" he asked quietly.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
Then he leaned in again, this time it was not soft.
The kiss was a release of all the tension that's been building. It wasn't polite or tentative; it was certain. It tasted like the end of a long wait.
He backed me up a few steps until I felt the edge of the professor's heavy oak desk against my lower back.
He didn't stop, leaning into me, his hands sliding up from my waist to cup my face, his thumbs tracing the line of my cheekbones as he deepened the kiss.
I pulled him closer, my fingers tangling in the hair at the back of his head, my eyes closed tight against the bright sunlight. Everything felt heightened—the scent of his jacket, the warmth of his skin, the way his breath hitched when I tilted my head to give him better access.
He broke away for just a second, his lips hovering a fraction of an inch from mine, both of us flushed and smiling.
"You taste like strawberries." he said smiling ."I've wanted to do that since the last time," he whispered against my mouth.
"Me too," I breathed, before pulling him back down to finish the thought.