The classroom was quiet, save for the low hum of the ceiling fan and the occasional shuffle of paper. Liana sat at the back, half-listening as Mr. Zane paced the front, chalk in hand, scribbling formulas on the board. He wasn't just any teacher — he was her brother Kayden's best friend. He'd been in their house, shared dinners with their family, laughed over card games. Now, he was her A-Level physics teacher.
And something had changed.
Liana didn't mean to notice him that way. She didn't plan to. But ever since that day in the garage — when he'd helped Kayden fix the old bike and flashed her that crooked smile after she handed him a wrench — she couldn't stop noticing.
His voice. The way he explained tough concepts like they were poetry. The quiet way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't looking. How her heart skipped when their eyes met too long.
"Liana," his voice snapped her out of the spiral. "What's the difference between velocity and speed?"
She blinked, flushed. "Uh… speed is how fast, velocity is how fast and where?"
A faint smirk curved at the corner of his lips. "Correct."
She looked down, suddenly aware of every heartbeat. Was she imagining it? The flicker in his gaze? The way his tone changed slightly when he said her name?
That afternoon, the classroom emptied slowly. She gathered her books last, waiting for the others to go. She wasn't sure why she stayed — maybe to delay the moment they wouldn't be in the same space anymore.
He looked up from his desk. "You alright?"
"Yeah. Just… the lesson was intense." A weak excuse, but it bought her a moment.
Zane stood, slipping the chalk into the tray. "You've been distracted lately."
She met his eyes. "I could say the same about you."
There was a pause — sharp, quiet, loaded.
"That's dangerous talk, Liana."
"So is silence," she said, her voice barely a whisper.
He walked closer, stopping just short of the line between student and teacher, friend and stranger. "You're Kayden's sister."
"I'm also eighteen," she whispered, more boldly than she felt.
His jaw tightened. The air between them thickened with unspoken feelings. Then he stepped back.
"This can't happen," he said gently, but his eyes told a different story. One filled with longing, hesitation, and something deeper.
She nodded. But as she left the classroom, her heart whispered: It already is.
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Would you like the next chapter to show how the feelings develop or the conflict with her brother when he finds out?