Sophie lowered her head and followed Sam.
As they exited the school gates, she hesitated. How to put it?
It was as if she had mustered up the courage, but not entirely, like an ostrich ready to bury its head in the sand at any mont.
She kept her head down, not daring to look at anyone.
It wasn't until they boarded the bus that Sophie finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Today, they were lucky; there were still seats available on the bus.
Right at the back, and Sophie had no choice but to sit next to Sam, as she couldn't sit in front of or behind him.
Sam, being considerate, said, "You can sit by the window."
Sophie couldn't find a reason to refuse. More accurately, she had set a trap for herself, no longer able to reject this boy as she used to.
Who said it?
When you're alone, you can be as free as you want.
But when soone special enters your world, you start setting many limits for yourself.
Getting close is a double-edged sword.
You can't deny the freshness and joy the other person brings.
But you also can't escape the freedom and courage you lose bit by bit.
She sat by the window, while Sam sat on the outer side.
The bus was crowded, noisy with the murmur of conversations. With the holiday approaching, everything seed lively and cheerful.
Sophie watched the snowflakes on the window lt into droplets, sliding down in wet trails.
The street scenes outside were blurry, like the carvings of ti, the mottling of years.
Sophie seed to realize only now that another sester had passed.
And she and Sam had known each other from sumr to winter.
Not a full year, but it felt like a complete story in their lives.
She felt a bit dazed, turning her head to see Sam's slightly damp hair.
"How did your exam go?"
Her initiative to ask surprised Sam.
In his mory, he was always the one to start their conversations. This girl was mostly passive, and now... in this brief silence, he hadn't planned to bring up any topic.
He just wanted to enjoy this temporary peace, swaying with the bus, like a ti train heading towards an unknown future.
Caught off guard by her question, Sam quickly reacted, smiling as usual.
"Not bad. How about you?"
Sophie, feeling awkward, glanced at Sam's familiar smile.
It seed like one of her rare monts of courage, bravely making eye contact.
"Normal performance."
But the courage she mustered quickly dissipated after saying this simple sentence, like a deflated balloon. She quickly turned her head, avoiding letting the boy see her already blushing face.
Brave beforehand, regretful afterward—this had beco Sophie's recent norm.
And it often happened when she was with this boy.
Like now, she regretted it.
Why did she take the initiative to speak?
It made her seem boring... and eager to talk to him.
Would he think she was strange now? But even she thought she was strange...
Soon, Sam's voice ca through clearly.
"If it was just a normal performance, I might beat you this ti."
It sounded like a challenge.
After all, Sophie's greatest pride in front of this boy was her top rank in the grade.
She snorted softly.
"My normal performance guarantees first place. There's no way you can surpass ."
"Then... how about a bet?"
It seed like familiar words.
They hadn't bet often, the last ti being a month's worth of chores.
It felt like revisiting old tis, like Sam was giving her another chance.
Sophie hesitated for a mont.
Should she engage in this self-deceptive way to start an unfinished story? It didn't seem worth debating.
It was a step offered by him, and if she accepted it like before, unable to resist the challenge, she might relive that month's wonderful experience.
But... was she really provoked?
It's easy to deceive others, but hard to deceive oneself.
She bit her lip. "No bet."
Sam sighed, sounding a bit disappointed.
"You're smart, knowing you'd lose, so you didn't bet."
Sophie was smart. She understood that Sam wasn't mocking her; he just didn't want her to miss this opportunity.
It seed like the best reason he had to let her interact with him more normally.
But... he was a fool.
Sophie looked ahead, noticing how crowded the bus had beco, with people standing shoulder to shoulder.
She looked at the crowd and softly said, "Do you have plans tonight?"
Her question disrupted Sam's thoughts.
"I don't have any plans. Why?"
Sam was puzzled.
He didn't know what she was getting at, but his heart started racing.
It felt like his heart was being pulled by a thread of fate, leading sowhere... why was it affecting his heartbeat?
She didn't dare turn her head, just looking ahead. Her profile was already blushing.
She didn't even have the courage to look at her reflection in the window.
Snowflakes hit the window, the wind howled outside.
The chatter, the honking on the streets, all filled the air.
But none of it could match the penetrating power of her soft voice.
"If you don't have plans... co to my place and cook. Is that okay?"
She controlled her voice to keep it steady.
And tried to keep her heartbeat and temperature normal.
People think they can't control others, but they can control themselves.
But they can't control their heartbeat, their tabolism, or a mont of blushing.
Sam understood her aning.
She didn't accept his bet, not because she rejected the step he offered.
But because she was telling Sam in her own way.
He didn't need a bet to go to her place.
He could spend ti with her like that month.
She was still sensitive, afraid of getting hurt.
But she was giving this boy the opportunity to get close to her.
The bus swayed, unsteady but still reaching its stops.
Sam stood up suddenly.
Sophie instinctively looked up at him, ignoring her nervousness.
Because he hadn't answered her, he hadn't agreed.
Sam turned to Sophie.
"I'll go buy groceries. You go ho and wait for ."
The girl's face turned even redder, like a rose blooming out of season.
She bit her lip, picked up her bag.
Not daring to look at him.
"Okay."
That single word stood out clearly in the noisy bus.
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