It was late evening. The classroom was empty except for Elena, who stayed back to finish some notes Adam had assigned during extra study hours.
She sat at her usual spot, scribbling furiously in her journal while her textbook lay open, untouched.
Adam sat at his desk, pretending to grade papers. But his eyes kept flickering up—again and again—to where she sat.
The silence between them wasn't just silence.
It buzzed. It pressed in. It meant something.
Elena finally stood up and approached him, holding out her notebook. "I finished the notes you asked for."
Adam took it, their fingers brushing for a second—barely.
But it was enough.
His eyes lifted to hers, and for the first time, he didn't look away quickly.
Neither did she.
"You're always the first to finish," he said softly, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I like finishing things early," she replied. "It leaves less room for mistakes."
He closed her notebook, setting it aside carefully. "You're too hard on yourself."
"No one else is hard enough," she whispered, before realizing how honest that sounded.
The words lingered in the air between them, heavy and raw.
Adam stood now, slowly. They were closer than they should've been—barely a breath apart.
"Elena," he said quietly, almost like a warning.
She knew what he meant.
This couldn't happen.
Shouldn't happen.
Wouldn't happen.
But still…
"I should go," she said, taking a step back.
He nodded, but didn't look away. "Yes. You should."
She turned and walked to the door, heart thudding so loud she could barely hear her own thoughts.
Just as she reached it, he called softly, "Elena."
She looked back.
There was something in his eyes—unspoken, restrained, aching.
"Take care," he said.
She nodded once and disappeared into the hallway.
Behind her, Adam sat down heavily in his chair, pressing his hands against his temples.
This wasn't just wrong.
It was dangerous.
And it had already gone too far.