The boy I admired from afar

3

My vision was filled with blue. Sat in front of me was the boy I had fallen for over the span of a few months. There I was, gazing directly into his eyes. I held contact for a few moments, before breaking his stare and looking down at my entwined fingers.

"Hi."

The silence we had been sitting in for the past few minutes was finally broken by the sound of a raspy voice. My head lifted again and I was met with a wide grin and shiny white teeth, his eyes gleaming. His eyes...

I struggled to form words, a simple "Hi," back would have sufficed, yet when my mouth opened no sound emerged. I just stared at him whilst I opened and closed my mouth helplessly as if I was gasping for air. I managed to raise my arm and gave him a small, shy wave. He chuckled at this, a deep chuckle, and I felt the vibrations from this wonderous sound throughout my chest. This elicited a smile from myself and eventually, I managed to speak.

"Hello," I said, my voice quiet. I broke eye contact again and reached into my bag, pulling out a small packet of wipes. I retrieved one and handed it to him, motioning to the cut that had formed on his pink lips.

"Thanks," he smiled, before placing it to his cut. He winced as the material connected to his skin, and I screwed up my face as if I was feeling the same pain.

"Can I ask your name?" He spoke again, my eyes widening in shock. He's interested in me? In my name? I act surprised as if we haven't been making subtle eye contact for what seems like forever now. From the moment I knew that he was a regular at the library, I made it a common part of my day too. Creepy as it sounds I did it just to see him. Something about him made me come back over and over again, and I didn't know the reason. I wanted to know the reason.

I tucked a strand of my hair that had escaped from my ponytail behind my ear and looked down again at the desk in front of me before answering.

"Lily. My name is Lily." His smile grew wider, even if it was only by a small bit, yet I still noticed the change. He repeated what I said.

"Lily..." Hearing my name upon his lips made my stomach flip, and warmth spread across my face. For some reason, Lily sounded much nicer coming from him, nicer than anyone had ever spoken it before. There was another silence for a few moments, followed by a sentence that I would probably never forget.

"I'm Noah. It's nice to meet you."

This time, I was able to hold his gaze, the blue of his eyes calming me for the first time that afternoon. It was as if time had stopped around us, and this moment was only ours to share. I smiled, as I realised I finally knew the name of the boy I admired from afar.