Almost... But Never Gone

Some stories don't begin with love. They begin with glances that linger a second too long... and words that were never spoken. Back in school, she was the kind of girl you couldn't miss. Laughter spilling into hallways, friends orbiting around her, her presence loud without trying. She lived in moments-carefree, expressive, fearless. And then there was him. Quiet. Observant. The kind of boy who sat by the window, watching the world like he didn't quite belong in it. He spoke less, felt more, and hid everything behind silence. She noticed him first. At first, it was curiosity-why was he always alone?Then curiosity turned into something softer... something warmer. A crush she never fully understood, but never really let go of either. He noticed her too. But for him, it wasn't loud or obvious. It was in the way he memorized her laugh, the way his eyes followed her without meaning to, the way her presence disrupted his carefully built quiet world. He never called it a crush. He never called it anything. And then... school ended. Life moved on the way it always does-fast, unforgiving, and indifferent to unfinished stories. Years passed. Seven... maybe eight. They became strangers again. Or at least, that's what they thought. Because some feelings don't disappear. They just wait-quietly, patiently-until the right moment returns. And when it does... the question isn't whether they still feel something.