The sun had already begun its descent, casting a soft, golden hue over the school campus. The day had been unusually quiet, almost serene, as if the world was taking a breath before it exhaled into the evening. Caesar sat under the large oak tree by the schoolyard, the one where he usually found peace in the afternoons. His thoughts had been a tangled mess lately, especially when Blythe was involved.
It was as if she brought a certain calm to him, though he could never fully understand why. Maybe it was the way she smiled at him or how she always seemed to notice when he was upset, even when he said nothing. Or maybe, just maybe, it was her eyes—the blue of them, like the clear sky he had always admired.
"Caesar," Blythe's voice broke through his reverie, pulling him back to the present. He looked up, a bit startled, but the warmth in her gaze softened the tension in his chest.
"Hey, Blythe," he mumbled, his voice a little rougher than usual. He wasn't used to her approaching him like this. Usually, they exchanged a few words before heading to their separate places. But today felt different, as though something unspoken lingered between them.
"I've been looking for you," she said, sitting beside him, her platinum blonde hair shimmering softly in the fading light. "You okay?"
He hesitated. "Yeah... just thinking."
She raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. Blythe had always had a way of seeing right through him. "You've been doing that a lot lately."
"Guess I have," he admitted. He stared at the ground, trying to avoid her gaze, but her presence made it hard to stay distant. Blythe always had a way of pulling him out of his shell, even if he didn't want to come out.
They sat there for a while, the sound of birds chirping and the faint hum of distant conversations from other students providing a soft background. Blythe pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, her head tilted back to catch the last rays of the sun.
"Have you ever thought about the future, Caesar?" she asked, her voice quiet and reflective.
His chest tightened. "The future?" he repeated, almost as if the word itself was foreign to him. The future had always felt too uncertain, too far out of reach for someone like him. For a long time, it had seemed like a concept he couldn't grasp, not after everything he had lost.
"I don't know," Blythe continued, her tone wistful. "I guess I've been thinking a lot about where I want to go, what I want to do. And sometimes, I wonder about the people who will be with me when I get there."
Her words hit him harder than he expected. It was as if she was unknowingly reaching out to him, pulling at the thread of something he'd buried deep within himself. A feeling he hadn't allowed himself to acknowledge before.
He met her gaze then, and for a brief moment, the world around them seemed to disappear. Her blue eyes, bright and clear as the sky, seemed to be waiting for him to say something—anything. But the words caught in his throat.
"I don't think much about the future," he said finally, his voice softer than he intended. "It's easier that way."
She studied him carefully, her expression gentle but searching. "Why?"
Caesar swallowed hard, his thoughts momentarily clouded by memories he wasn't ready to face. The pain of losing his father, the uncertainty that followed—everything had been so overwhelming. How could he explain that to her without feeling exposed? Vulnerable? But Blythe's presence felt safe, like she could understand without judgment.
"I guess it's just hard to think about it when... when everything feels so... uncertain," he finished, his voice barely above a whisper.
Blythe didn't press further. Instead, she gave him a small smile, her blue eyes softening with empathy. "It's okay to not have all the answers, Caesar. No one really does."
He nodded, grateful for her understanding. "I guess you're right."
There was a brief silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was like they had finally reached a point where the weight of unspoken things didn't need to be acknowledged. They were simply together, sharing a moment in time. And for Caesar, that was more than enough.
The wind picked up slightly, rustling the leaves of the oak tree. Blythe turned to look at him again, her gaze steady and kind. "You know, I'm glad I met you, Caesar."
His heart skipped a beat. His mind raced, trying to find the right words, but they didn't come. Instead, he felt a rush of warmth in his chest, something he hadn't felt in a long time. It was like his confidence, once lost, was slowly starting to rebuild itself in the quiet moments with her.
"Me too," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper, but the sincerity in his tone was clear.
Blythe smiled again, a small, knowing smile, as though she could sense the shift in him. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."
For a moment, Caesar didn't know how to respond. But deep down, he knew—he was starting to believe in the possibility of a future, one where maybe, just maybe, he wasn't alone.
---
The next few days passed in a blur for Caesar. Every interaction with Blythe felt different now—charged with a sense of closeness that both excited and terrified him. He found himself searching for her during lunch breaks, finding excuses to walk with her between classes, and trying not to overthink every word they exchanged.
It wasn't just that she had become a constant in his life. It was the way she made him feel—like he wasn't invisible, like he mattered. And somewhere along the way, he realized that he was falling for her.
But how could he tell her? How could he admit it when he still felt so uncertain about his own place in the world?
One afternoon, as they walked together after school, Caesar felt the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him. They had reached the park near their school, a quiet place where they often came to talk. Blythe had stopped at the fountain, gazing out at the water with that same thoughtful expression she always wore when she was lost in her own thoughts.
Caesar stood a few paces behind her, unsure of how to begin. His heart was racing, his palms sweating. This was it. The moment he'd been avoiding for so long.
"Blythe," he called softly, his voice breaking the silence.
She turned to him, her blue eyes meeting his with a warmth that made his heart ache. "What is it, Caesar?"
He swallowed hard, taking a step forward. His chest tightened with the weight of his feelings, but he knew he couldn't keep them hidden any longer. Not when every moment with her felt more like a promise than just a passing day.
"I—" he started, but his voice faltered. He tried again, forcing the words out. "Blythe, I think... I think I'm falling for you."
She didn't say anything at first. Her expression softened, her blue eyes searching his face as if trying to read the truth behind his words. Caesar's heart pounded in his chest, and he found himself holding his breath, waiting for her response.
But before she could speak, a breeze rustled the leaves, and the moment felt suspended in time.
To be continued...