This is not even one-sided

The hallways of Fairview High School were bustling with students as usual. The students chatted away with each other as Cynthia made her way towards her classroom.

Just as she was about to step in, her way was blocked by Nia who stood with arms stretched, looking at her with a lopsided grin. Cynthia tilted her head, looking at her friend with a frown.

"So, Miss Goody Two Shoes, is it true that you have a crush on Tian?" Nia hooked her arms around Cynthia as she dragged her inside the classroom.

Cynthia took a double take almost as if she was unsure that she had heard it wrong. "Why..would you say something like that?" Cynthia questioned back, looking around the room, her heart beating faster due to nervousness.

"I had a hunch," Nia said with a nonchalant shrug as they made their way to their seats. Cynthia's gaze landed on her former desk, where Tian's belongings were neatly arranged.

It was evident that Tian was a morning person, always arriving a few minutes before the start of the first class each day. As Cynthia looked up, she noticed something unusual, prompting her to furrow her brows in confusion.

Tian wasn't sitting where he was supposed to, rather he sat just behind where he was previously assigned to sit and that made her frown.

She felt Nia leaving her side as she muttered something along the lines of 'my cue to leave'.

The boy stood up, his arms coming forward to grab his belongings to keep them in front of him as he gestured for her to sit before taking sitting back in his place.

Cynthia took a moment before asking, "Why aren't you sitting here?" Her voice sounded nonchalant as if Tian holding the seat for her didn't make her feel giddy.

She placed her bag on the seat, her hands working simultaneously to take out the book for the first class as she awaited his response.

She heard Tian clearing his throat before he leaned forward, his hands intertwining to prop on his desk. He looked up at her standing figure, his face graced with his ever-so-beautiful smile before he spoke.

"After learning that you prefer this particular seat, I realized that I could do at least something special for my friend this way. So, here we are."

Cynthia's hands stopped midway, her eyes rising from her bag to look at his brown ones.

She was so engrossed on the weird action that her heart just did that she failed to notice his eyes moving to look behind her for a split moment, noticing the arrival of their teacher.

Adjacent to them, Cynthia heard Nia's dramatic sigh as she plopped into her seat before muttering just loud enough for Cynthia to hear, "This is not even one-sided."

Cynthia saw his lips stretch wider as he pointed towards the podium, her gaze breaking away from his instantly as she clumsily sat back in her seat, almost hitting her leg in the process.

The teacher's words went over her head for the next hour as she kept thinking about what Tian had said. She appreciated his action as a token of friendship, but her inner romantic side couldn't help but see his gesture as sweet coming from her crush. No matter how many times she thought back to his words, his smile while he said it to her, all of that made her heart flutter.

The class ended, and as the teacher walked out, the students stood up to stretch before the next class. Cynthia turned her body to look at him, their eyes meeting as he looked up from his notebook.

Chocolate eyes met hazel ones as she passed him a smile out of gratitude, "Thank you, Tian. I really appreciate your gesture.", she spoke softly, tapping on her desk softly as she watched his eyes brighten slightly under the sunlight, a small smile was returned to her before he spoke with a thoughtful expression.

"If you appreciate it that much then, would you like to do me a favor?", Tian asked, his voice holding a tinge of hope. Cynthia didn't hesitate to nod her head, "Absolutely. What is it about?"

"Would you like to walk back home with me today?"

Cynthia arched an eyebrow in surprise at his request, feeling a flutter in her heart at the thought of spending more time with him after school, just the two of them.

Although they lived just across the street from each other and the request could've just came because of that but the logical part of her brain seemed to evaporate as she eagerly anticipated the chance to enjoy his company for a little while longer.

A cheeky grin graced her lips as she nodded, "I would like that."

"Perfect", Nia muttered from her seat as she raised her head from the desk, her lazy eyes scanning the two flustered teenagers who looked at her with wide eyes for very similar reasons.

Nia frowned as she observed the gradual reddening of both of their faces, a subtle indication of their embarrassment. "You guys are seriously making me miss Ryan," she murmured to herself, the words escaping her lips without any attempt to lower her voice.

She then leaned her head back on the desk, leaving the two teenagers in an awkward moment, exchanging subtle smiles and blushing, just before the teacher for the second class arrived.