Borrowing Textbooks

Su Yao is 175 cm tall and painfully aware of it. Liu Xi is 160 cm tall, close enough that Su Yao never quite knows where to place her hands, her gaze, or her heart. It begins with an excuse too small to question. “Can I borrow your textbook?” One excuse becomes another. A shared desk. A sleeve gently tugged. A smile warm enough to linger. Su Yao tells herself she's only being thoughtful. Only being kind. But every time Liu Xi tilts her head and looks up, something inside her falters. Source: Crossed Hearts