For days after the ending of summer vacation, there hadn't been conversations and encounters between them but Noelle couldn't shake the memory of Derek, his pretty smile and the way his eyes disappear when he laughed.
She knew it was better for them to not keep contacts but try as she might, she couldn't forget him.
It wasn't long before fate intervened, bringing them together in the most unexpected of places—the school library. As Noelle scanned the shelves for a book, she spotted him sitting alone at a table, his nose buried in a geology book.
Summoning her courage, Noelle approached him, her heart pounding in her chest. "Hey," she said softly.
"Hey there Shorty!" Derek said not so surprised.
If not for that fateful day in the school library, they wouldn't have speaken to eachother until the end of highschool. More encounters, more third wheeling and more feelings forming inside Noelle's little heart.
One evening, while third wheeling, they sat on the top of hill, watching the sun set behind the distant hills, Derek found herself unable to contain her feelings any longer.
"Derek," she began, her voice hesitant, "there's something I need to tell you."
Derek turned to face her, his eyes filled with curiosity. "What is it?"
Taking a deep breath, Noelle reached out and took his hand in hers. "I know we've only known each other for a short time, but I can't deny the way I feel when I'm with you. You've changed me in ways I never thought possible, and I... I think I might be falling for you."
For a moment, Derek was silent,"Is this a confession? or?" Derek said, his gaze searching Noelle's face for any hint of insincerity. But then he saw the raw honesty in her eyes, he felt his heart swell with emotion.