The next few days passed like usual, yet something between Sam and Mahiru felt different.
It wasn't anything obvious—no sudden changes in how they spoke or acted. But there was an unspoken awareness between them, a lingering warmth that neither could quite ignore.
Sam noticed it in the way Mahiru's gaze lingered on him a little longer than before. The way she seemed just a little bit more flustered when their hands accidentally touched.
Mahiru felt it too. Every time Sam laughed, every time he called her name, it sent a small, unfamiliar flutter through her chest.
They didn't talk about it.
They didn't need to talk about it.
It was just there—settling between them like a soft whisper, waiting to be acknowledged.
One evening, as they walked together after college, the air was crisp with the last hints of summer fading into autumn. The sky had turned a soft shade of orange, the gentle breeze rustling through the trees.
Mahiru hugged her arms, slightly shivering. "It's getting colder."
Sam glanced at her before sighing and shrugging off his jacket. Without a word, he draped it over her shoulders.
Mahiru blinked up at him in surprise. "Sam… you don't have to—"
"You're cold, right?" he said simply, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Just wear it."
Mahiru bit her lip, feeling her face warm. "...Thanks."
A comfortable silence stretched between them as they walked.
Then—
"Hey, Mahiru."
"Hm?"
Sam looked up at the sky, his expression unreadable. "Do you ever… think about the future?"
Mahiru tilted her head. "The future?"
"Yeah," he said, kicking a small pebble on the ground. "Like, where we'll be in a few years… what we'll be doing… who we'll be with."
Mahiru stared at him, sensing that this wasn't just casual talk.
After a pause, she smiled softly. "I think about it sometimes."
Sam glanced at her. "And?"
She took a deep breath, looking up at the sky. "I don't know what the future holds, but…" She tightened her grip on his jacket. "I hope that… no matter what, I'll still have the people I care about beside me."
Sam's steps slowed.
Mahiru turned to face him, her amber eyes reflecting the golden sunset.
"I hope… you'll be there too," she whispered.
Sam felt his heartbeat stutter.
For a moment, he forgot how to breathe.
Then—he smiled. A small, genuine smile.
"...Yeah," he murmured. "Me too."
And as they walked under the fading sunlight, both of them knew—
Something was changing.
Something they couldn't ignore forever.
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