Aiden barely slept. Which was ridiculous. He wasn't nervous. At least, that's what he kept telling himself. But every time he closed his eyes, he remembered Mia's words.
"There's something I want to tell you."
And then her friend had interrupted. Now he couldn't stop wondering what she'd been about to say. The next morning, Aiden arrived at school earlier than usual. Noah immediately noticed.
"You're early."
"So?"
"You've never been early."
"People change."
Noah stared at him.
"You're waiting for Mia."
"No."
"You are."
"No."
"You absolutely are."
Before Aiden could argue, Noah pointed toward the hallway. Aiden turned. And instantly forgot whatever he was about to say. Mia had arrived. She was wearing a light blue dress for the festival preparations. Nothing overly fancy. Yet somehow she looked different. Beautiful. Aiden's brain completely stopped working.
"Oh."
Noah looked at him. Then at Mia. Then back at him.
"Oh, you've got it BAD."
Aiden shoved him away.
The entire school buzzed with excitement. Students rushed between booths. Music played from speakers. Teachers tried (and failed) to keep everything organized.
The festival had officially begun.
For most of the day, Aiden and Mia were too busy running their booth to talk properly. Every time one of them tried, another student appeared, or a teacher needed help, or Noah ruined the moment. Usually Noah.
By evening, the festival grounds were glowing with colorful lights. Strings of lanterns hung between trees. Food stalls lined the pathways. Students wandered around laughing with friends. The whole place looked magical. Aiden had just finished helping clean up when he spotted Mia standing near the fountain. Alone. For the first time all day. His heart immediately sped up. This was it. Finally. He walked toward her.
"Mia."
She turned. And smiled. The smile alone was enough to make him forget what he wanted to say.
"Hey."
"Hey."
For a moment, neither spoke. The fountain splashed quietly behind them. Festival lights reflected in the water. Everything felt strangely peaceful. Then Mia laughed.
"What?"
"You've been staring at me for ten seconds."
Aiden immediately looked away.
"I wasn't staring."
"You were."
"I wasn't."
"You absolutely were."
Aiden groaned. Some things never changed.
They began walking through the festival together. No destination. No plan. Just walking. They stopped at a game booth. Aiden insisted he could win. Mia insisted he couldn't. Five minutes later, he had lost three times. Spectacularly. Mia nearly cried from laughing.
"You're terrible."
"I'm being sabotaged."
"By who?"
"The universe."
"Sure."
Eventually, after several failed attempts, Aiden finally won a small stuffed bear. The prize was tiny. And slightly crooked. But he looked oddly proud of himself. Mia laughed.
"All that for a stuffed bear?"
"Absolutely."
Then, without warning, he handed it to her. Mia blinked.
"What?"
"It's yours."
"What?"
"You heard me."
Mia stared at the bear. Then at him. Then back at the bear. For some reason, her heart started beating faster.
"It's ugly."
"I know."
"It's literally missing an eye."
"I know."
"It's kind of terrifying."
"I know."
Mia smiled.
"I'm keeping it."
Aiden grinned.
As the night continued, they found themselves sitting beneath a large tree overlooking the festival. The crowd was smaller now. Most students were busy watching performances near the main stage. For the first time all evening, they were truly alone. Neither seemed eager to break the silence. Eventually, Mia looked down at the stuffed bear in her lap. Then back at Aiden.
"You remember yesterday?"
Aiden immediately sat up straighter.
"Of course."
Mia laughed softly.
"I figured."
His heart pounded. Was she finally going to tell him? The thing she'd been trying to say? Mia took a deep breath. Then another, for once, she seemed nervous. Very nervous.
"Aiden..."
"Yeah?"
She looked directly into his eyes. And suddenly forgot every sentence she'd prepared. Because he was looking at her the same way he'd looked at her during the presentation. The same way he'd looked at her when he'd caught her. The same way he'd always looked at her. Like she mattered. A lot. More than either of them wanted to admit.
"Aiden, I..."
Before she could finish a loud cheer erupted from the main stage. Both jumped. Then groaned. At the exact same time. Mia started laughing. Aiden dropped his head into his hands.
"You've got to be kidding me."
"I think the universe hates us."
"No," Aiden said. "The universe definitely hates us."
Mia laughed even harder. And somehow, despite the interruption, neither felt disappointed. Not really. Because the words hadn't disappeared. They were still there. Waiting.
As the festival slowly came to an end, students began heading home. The lights started shutting off one by one. The magical atmosphere faded. Eventually, only a few people remained. Including Aiden and Mia. They stood near the school gates. Neither seemed ready to leave. Neither wanted the night to end. Finally, Mia smiled.
"I had fun."
"Me too."
A brief silence followed. Then Mia stepped forward. And hugged him. Aiden froze. Completely. Absolutely. Frozen. His brain stopped functioning. His heart nearly exploded. The hug only lasted a few seconds. But it felt much longer. When she finally pulled away, both of them looked slightly embarrassed. Neither knew what to say. So Mia smiled.
"Goodnight, Aiden."
Then she walked toward her ride. Leaving Aiden standing there. Motionless. Speechless. And smiling like an idiot. From a nearby bench, Noah watched the entire thing. He shook his head. Then pulled out his phone.
Noah: BRO SHE HUGGED YOU.
Aiden's phone immediately buzzed. Then again. And again. And again. Aiden looked at the messages. Then looked toward Mia's disappearing figure. For once, he didn't care about Noah's teasing. Because one thought kept repeating in his mind. She hugged him. And somehow... That felt like the best part of the entire festival.