From a Distance

Haru learned quickly which places at school were easiest to exist in.

The hallway near the stairwell during lunch. The corner table in the library. The bench beneath the tree in the courtyard, where the noise of the school felt farther away.

That was where he sat now.

The breeze rustled the leaves above him, sunlight flickering across the open pages of his notebook. Haru wasn't really reading. Hid eyes moves across the words, but his thoughts wandered.

He could see the students across the courtyard, laughing, talking over one another. Their expressions shifted so quickly-inside jokes, teasing smiles, shared understanding.

it wasn't that he wanted to be a art of it

...Wasn't it?

He closed his notebook and leaned back slightly, staring up at the sky.

Then he felt it.

A gaze.

Subtle. Not heavy. But present .

Haru lowered his eyes again.

Across the courtyard, partially hidden behind a group of friends, stood Mio Aoyama.

She pretended to be listening to someone talk, nodding along as they spoke, but her attention drifted. Her eyes kept returning to the boy sitting alone under the tree.

Why was he always alone?

She noticed little things now-how carefully he moved, how he motioned himself so he could see faces clearly, how his expressions were gentle instead of distant.

he wasn't ignoring the world. He was watching it.

He's kind of...different, she thought. In a good way. 

Haru felt uneasy and turned his head slightly. Their eyes met.

Mio froze.

For a split second, neither of them looked away.

Her heart jumped.

Then she panicked and turned around too quickly, pretending to laugh at something someone said beside her.

Haru felt warmth creep into his face. he glanced back at his notebook, fingers tightening around the edges.

...Why did that make his chest feel like that?

The bell rang shortly after.

As students began to move, Haru packed his things and stood. when he passed the courtyard path leading back inside, he hesitated-just slightly.

Mio watched him go this time. No hiding. No pretending.

She held her notebook closer to her chest.

I don't know much about you, she thought, but I want to.

And for the first time, Haru walked back to class with the faintest hint of a smile.