Group projects never bothered me. They were fun, for the most part, and I was a sought-after member to have. Most of my classmates groaned when it was announced we wouldn’t get to pick our own teams, and the groups were assigned by our social studies teacher. 

Four students in each group were to prepare a presentation in the upcoming week. Not a big deal! For me, at least. Sophie, Matt’s crush, was in my group, and two other boys I didn’t talk to much, but got along with quite well. I rather worried about Oliver, if I had to admit it, as I watched him walk over to his group full of girls: Paola, Mia, Jasmine. 

Taken aback, they whispered to each other, and didn’t dare talk to Oliver much. And he, too appeared incredibly awkward sitting at their table with his one, folded paper and the pencil he’d brought. 

I would have loved to group up with him, to be honest, as he stuck out over there like a sore thumb that didn’t belong, listening to the other three girls of his team planning their upcoming presentation. 

“Too bad Matt isn’t in our group,” Sophie mumbled, ripping me back to reality. 

“Oh. Yeah…” 

“Are you friends with Oliver? It seems you’re always looking for him.” Sophie asked, curiosity sparking in her voice.

I gulped — was it that obvious? My eyes searching for his? I didn’t even know what to say. 

“Friends? I don’t know.” I could still feel him glaring at times, but he wasn’t mean anymore. He’d gone through the trouble of asking for my number, only to never text me again after those first few messages. Despite my hopes, there hadn’t been much development ever since he’d given me his peace offering. 

“We get along, I think. We just had a rocky start,” I mumbled. 

“Well, he’s not necessarily approachable.” Sophie sighed, only to whisper: “He’s super scary.” 

She hadn’t seen his other side, yet. Sure, he was scary, but he could have these adorable moments where his real personality shone through, one that wasn’t dominated by that angry frown. 

When his ears glittered pink and he was too shy to even maintain eye contact, that’s when I completely forgot all the rumors that surrounded him. 

Was I the only one that saw him differently? The only one that noticed his shyness? Was I the only one seeing more behind his troublemaker attitude he showed everyone? Was I just an idiot? 

But even now, I noticed. His gaze sticking to me, only for me to turn around and get a grand visual of his ears flushing red. 

Just talk to me, I thought, if you have something to say. 

During the first hour of our group project, our glances would meet repeatedly — he’d catch me looking, and I’d catch him, making it impossible to concentrate for the both of us. 

It didn’t frighten me, though. There was no ill-will in his eyes, not since he’d apologized to me. 

My group made good progress, and we decided on who should research what, and I offered myself to make our power-point presentation. And before I knew it, class ended, and I packed my bag, readying myself to get home as quick as possible. 

That is, until fingers wrapped themselves around my upper arm, stopping me in my tracks. My heart practically stopped, and Oliver’s scent rushed into my nose, dizzying me. Was he going to ask me why I stared so endlessly? Tell me to stop, tell me how annoying and weird it was? Was he angry, after all? 

The roller coaster of emotion he thrust me on confused me — one moment, I wasn’t afraid, and the next, I was so terrified I didn’t dare make a single peep. 

“Finn.” His voice was a deep scratch, and goosebumps layered atop my skin. 

“Y-Yeah?” I looked up at him, and all fear disappeared. Though his grip was rather rough, his fingers forcing me to remain still at my upper arm, his eyes were this gentle dark-brown that immediately calmed me. Like a deer, almost frightened, he looked at me. 

“Do you want to go home together?” 

“Eh?” It trickled out of me, my confusion, my disbelief. Did he seriously ask me that, out of nowhere, after avoiding me for another week? “You—You want to walk home together?” 

Even now, his fingers didn’t let go of me, his thumb rubbing across my skin rather gently. 

“Is that okay?” My heart fluttered. Why did he ask me like that? 

“Um—“ I stuttered, everything within me trembling. His eyes were too intense, and I was forced to avert my own, desperately searching for my best friend, instead. 

A nervous smile emerged on my lips. “I—I already promised Matt we’d go. If you want, the three of us could go together?”

Finally, Oliver’s grip loosened around my arm. He let go, lowered his gaze, and nodded while chewing on his lower lip. “Okay.” 

With Oliver following right behind me, I walked over to Matt, whose jaw practically dropped to the ground when he realized Oliver would join us on our walk home.

“You can’t be serious,” he whispered, despite Oliver being able to hear him loud and clear. He said nothing, though, tucked his fingers behind the shoulder strap of his backpack, and simply waited. Patiently, he stood behind me, his eyes flickering back and forth. 

Matt accepted rather reluctantly, realizing there wasn’t much he could protest about, anyway, and went on to walk home, only for Oliver, who’d insisted on joining me, to walk in front of us and not say a single word. All the while, Matt raged about his nerves, wondering about what he should do. 

“Should I ask Sophie out? To the cinema, maybe? Or for coffee? Man, I don’t know what she’d like! What should I do, Finn? Help me out here, man!” He shook me from the side, pouting with over-exaggerated puppy eyes. 

I sighed. “Well, she did say she wanted to be in a group with you today. She was kind of disappointed.” 

“S-Seriously?! And you wait until now to tell me?!” 

“Just ask her out, already, and stop blabbering to me about it.” 

“You think she’ll say yes?!” 

“Totally,” I buzzed, though my mind was elsewhere. 

My eyes glued to Oliver’s triangle-shaped back, his back muscles poking through even past the black shirt he wore. More than once, I found myself gulping down embarrassed saliva, realizing I couldn’t get enough of that view. Though confusing, I didn’t mind him walking in front of us all that much. 

But for him not to say a single word … Why did he want to come, then? I didn’t understand it at all. 

Matt and my path’s split about halfway, with Matt turning towards a corner and up another street to approach his home, turning the rest of the way into an unbearable silence between Oliver and I. Now, he didn’t rush ahead any longer, and instead, waltzed beside me, slowing his feet to meet my tempo. 

With an awkward heartbeat, I rubbed my neck, feeling the heat rush up it. Every now and then, our arms grazed, that’s how close beside me he walked. 

“So, this is me,” I mumbled, halting right before my house. A chuckle escaped me as I avoided his gaze, but all he did was stare at my house, too surprised we had already reached my destination. 

“Oh,” he said, as if disappointed. “Okay.” Just what was going on? Why did we behave like this?

“Alright, then,” I mumbled. “See you tomorrow.” I rummaged through my pockets, reached for my house keys, and all he did was observe. More than once, his mouth opened as if he had something to say, only for nothing to come out at all. 

He watched my trembling hands as I poked the key hole of my door, missing more often than not. Once I unlocked the door, a relieved sigh escaping me, he opened his mouth again. 

“Wait.” 

“Huh?” I turned to meet him, realizing he stood too close behind me, his fingers holding onto the strap of his backpack so tightly, he could have ripped it apart. His forearm’s muscle protruded so visibly, I felt heat rushing into all kinds of places. 

“Can you help me with homework?” he asked, his Adam’s apple jittering as he gulped. 

“What homework?” 

“Math. I didn’t understand everything,” Oliver whispered, avoiding my eyes. Scratching the back of his head, I realized how miserable and embarrassed he must have felt, asking for my help after behaving the way he did. 

He walked me home because he needed help? Why didn’t he just say so? A slight chuckle escaped me. Somehow, it made me happy. 

“Of course, I’ll help. I have to do it, anyway, so we can just do it together.” 

Oliver’s brown eyes glittered in response, and almost too politely, he followed me into my home.