The next day, when I arrived at school, nothing seemed more important to my classmates than the supposed relationship between Tushig and me. Their eyes followed us everywhere—silent, curious, expectant. Until the final bell rang, their gazes never wavered.
Tushig, however, remained completely at ease, acting as though nothing unusual had happened. It was strange…
Had he only been playing with me yesterday?
Lost in thought, I found myself staring at him for a long moment. He caught my eye—and smiled. That only made everything feel even more suspicious.
After class, he slipped a small piece of paper into my hand. Curious, I opened it discreetly.
"Meet me behind the school in 30 minutes."
I stayed behind to clean the classroom, then made my way there. He was already waiting, perched casually on the rail of the archway stairs. As I approached, I said,
"Hey, Tushig, do you even realize what you've done?"
"I haven't done anything wrong," he replied calmly. "If anything, I'm helping you."
"Helping me? What do you mean by that?"
"I heard that last year you wrote a letter to Gantulga… and ended up being seen as the girl who begged a boy."
I stiffened. "And what does that have to do with you?"
"I just thought I'd help," he said simply. "It seems like it's hard for you to be in this class. So I decided—we should date. But on one condition. Will you agree?"
I stared at him, confused. "What kind of condition?"
"A fake relationship," he said. "We'll act like we're dating—but it won't be real. In return, you'll help me with some of my homework. And if we're 'together,' maybe the others will stop mocking you. I hate seeing that kind of bullying… that's why I want to help. But if you don't want to, we can forget it."
I fell silent for a moment.
He had told me both his reason… and his terms. I didn't fully understand what lay beneath his words, but still—
"…I agree," I said.
And just like that, I became his pretend girlfriend.
Even though it was my first time being in a "relationship," there was something strangely pleasant about it. He extended his hand toward me, smiling.
"Well then… shall we go, my girlfriend?"
I hesitated for a second, then placed my hand in his. We walked together, hand in hand.
Unbeknownst to us—or perhaps not—some of the boys in our class were watching from the corner behind the school. Among them stood Gantulga.
As we approached, Tushig spoke first.
"What are you guys doing here?"
Gantulga looked at us and asked,
"So… you two are dating now?"
"Yes," Tushig answered without hesitation. "She agreed."
I couldn't bring myself to say a word.
There was a strange mix of emotions inside me. I was happy that Gantulga now knew I was with someone… yet, at the same time, a quiet sadness lingered in my heart.
"Wow, Gerlee, you finally have a boyfriend," the other boys teased.
I shot them a sharp look and walked past.
Tushig continued holding my hand as he walked me all the way to the entrance of my apartment building.
"Alright, go on inside," he said. "I'll head home. Bye."
"Bye," I replied softly, stepping inside.
From that day on, he walked me home every single day. But along with that, he would hand me his notebooks, expecting me to complete his assignments.
Somehow, along the way, our relationship began to feel less like an act… and more like that of close friends.
One day, while we were standing in front of my building, a group of our classmates noticed us and lingered nearby, watching from a distance. Tushig spotted them.
"They're watching us," he murmured.
Then, without warning, he pulled me into an embrace and gently stroked my hair—before suddenly running toward them. Their laughter and shouts echoed as he joined them.
Blushing, I quickly slipped inside.
And so, in this strange, half-real, half-false relationship, time passed before I even realized it—and we had already graduated tenth grade.
During the summer break, our class planned a trip. Since my grades were good, my parents allowed me to go. We traveled to a sacred mountain near our district.
During the day, we played by the river, splashing water at one another, carefree and full of laughter. As evening fell, we gathered fallen branches and twigs to build a bonfire.
When the fire was lit, we danced around it before settling down in a circle. Couples leaned into each other, arms wrapped close. Tushig and I sat together as well.
Then Enkhmaa suggested,
"Let's play a game—couples only."
The class leader agreed, and soon everyone paired up and stood together.
"The first round," Enkhmaa announced, "is to strike a romantic pose with your partner."
Everyone posed in their own creative ways—forming hearts, embracing, laughing. I glanced at Tushig.
"I've got an idea," he said.
When it was our turn, he stood behind me, gently taking my right hand in his.
"Point toward the moon," he whispered, "like you're reaching for it."
I did as he said.
As I gazed up at the moon, he leaned in—and softly kissed my ear.
The class erupted into cheers and applause.
We won the first round.
The second round… was to see which couple could kiss the longest.
I froze. I had never done anything like that before.
Before I could even gather my thoughts, it was already our turn.
Tushig gently lifted my chin with his hand, looking into my eyes. Then, slowly, he pressed his lips against mine.
My eyes fluttered shut. Startled, I tried to pull away—but he held me there, softly pressing his lips against mine again… and then, hesitantly, deepened the kiss.
A strange warmth spread through me—an unfamiliar yet beautiful sensation.
Around us, our classmates counted aloud,
"1… 2… 3… 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… 9… 10… 11…"
Their voices echoed in my ears.
"…18."
At eighteen, we finally broke apart.
Applause, cheers, whistles—laughter filled the night.
But within my heart… something entirely different had begun to take shape.