The thought lingered in Sam's mind the entire night.
Mahiru had come all the way to his college just to give him chocolates. She had been nervous, standing at the gate, hesitating before she approached him. And then—his friends had ruined the moment, dragging them both into a chaotic lunch gathering.
He never got the chance to properly accept her chocolates.
And now, thanks to Anna's teasing, he realized…
He needed to do something in return.
As he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Sam exhaled.
What should he do?
He wasn't exactly good at romantic gestures. Buying something expensive? No way. Something too grand? Definitely not.
Then… what?
His fingers brushed against his phone. Instinctively, he opened the chat with Mahiru.
She had sent him a simple message before bed.
Mahiru: Did you reach home safely?
He smiled a little and replied.
Sam: Yeah. Just thinking about something.
She replied almost instantly.
Mahiru: Thinking about what?
Sam hesitated. Should he tell her? No, then it wouldn't be a surprise.
Sam: Nothing important. Sleep well.
A few seconds passed before she sent another text.
Mahiru: Okay… you too, Sam.
He sighed, putting his phone down.
What could he do for her?
Then—an idea hit him.
It wasn't something huge. It wasn't overly fancy.
But it was something from him.
And that was enough.
---
The next day, Sam found himself outside a small bakery near his house. The sweet scent of freshly baked goods filled the air as he stepped inside.
The lady at the counter greeted him with a smile. "What can I get for you, dear?"
Sam cleared his throat. "Um… do you have any heart-shaped cookies?"
The lady raised an eyebrow. "Valentine's special, huh?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "Something like that."
She grinned. "We have custom-made ones. You can write a message on them too."
Sam blinked.
A message?
…That wasn't a bad idea.
He nodded. "I'll take one."
"Any special words?"
He hesitated for a moment before finally deciding.
"Yeah. Write… 'Thank you for everything, Mahiru.'"
---
The next challenge was giving it to her.
Sam wasn't great at this stuff. His heart felt weirdly heavy as he stood outside Mahiru's college gate.
Would she think this was stupid?
Would she laugh at him?
He shook his head. No. This was Mahiru.
She wouldn't.
After a few minutes of waiting, he finally saw her coming out.
The moment she spotted him, she stopped in her tracks, her eyes widening.
"S-Sam?"
He walked toward her, trying to act normal. "Hey."
She blinked. "What are you doing here?"
His fingers tightened around the small bag in his hand. He inhaled deeply and held it out.
"For you," he said, looking away.
Mahiru stared at the bag, then at him. "...Huh?"
"It's… to thank you. For yesterday."
Mahiru slowly took the bag, her fingers brushing against his for a brief second. Her cheeks were already turning pink.
She peeked inside.
And then—froze.
Sam waited, feeling awkward. "...Do you not like cookies?"
Mahiru didn't respond immediately. Instead, she pulled out the heart-shaped cookie, her eyes scanning the words written in neat icing.
'Thank you for everything, Mahiru.'
Her lips parted slightly, her fingers trembling just a little.
"...Sam," she whispered.
He scratched the back of his head, feeling hot under her gaze. "It's nothing big, okay? Just… you did something nice for me, so I—"
Before he could finish, Mahiru hugged the cookie close to her chest, looking down.
Sam paused, watching her.
"...Mahiru?"
She finally looked up, her eyes shimmering with something soft—something warm.
"This makes me really happy," she whispered.
His chest tightened. "...Yeah?"
She nodded, smiling. "Yeah."
For a moment, they simply stood there, staring at each other.
Then Mahiru giggled, holding the cookie up. "Can I eat it now?"
Sam smirked. "I mean, that's what cookies are for."
She took a small bite, chewing thoughtfully. Then her smile widened.
"...It's sweet."
Sam crossed his arms. "Well, yeah. It's a cookie."
Mahiru giggled again. "No, I mean… it tastes sweeter because you gave it to me."
Sam immediately looked away, covering his mouth. "T-That's so cheesy."
She laughed. "But it's true."
He shook his head, sighing. "You're impossible."
She simply smiled at him, her golden eyes shining with happiness.
And then, suddenly—
Mahiru hesitated. Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag, and she nervously looked down.
"Sam…" she murmured.
"...Yeah?"
She took a deep breath, then quickly pulled out a small, neatly wrapped box from her bag.
"This… is for you," she said, extending it toward him.
Sam blinked. "What?"
She hesitated before explaining, "Yesterday, at your college… I-I was supposed to give this to you, but your friends showed up, and… I got too nervous."
Sam looked at the box. His heart skipped a beat.
It was chocolates.
Homemade chocolates.
"You made these… for me?" he asked, his voice softer than usual.
Mahiru nodded, her face turning red. "W-Well, of course. It's Valentine's, and… I wanted to make something special for you."
Sam stared at the box in his hands. His chest tightened.
She had really made these herself.
For him.
A warmth spread through his heart.
"...Thanks, Mahiru," he said quietly.
Mahiru shyly peeked at him. "I hope you like them."
Sam smirked. "If it's from you, I will."
Mahiru's blush deepened. "S-Stop saying things like that."
He chuckled, enjoying her reaction. "What? It's true."
Mahiru puffed her cheeks, looking away. "You're mean."
But the small, happy smile playing on her lips told him otherwise.
And as they stood there, exchanging gifts under the warm afternoon sun, Sam felt something in his heart shift.
Something gentle. Something real.
And he never wanted to let it go.
----