The silence in the exam hall was suffocating. I stared at my paper, and for a moment, my mind went completely blank. The letters and numbers swam before my eyes, blurring together. This was it. The final exam. Everything—my scholarship, my future, my chance to go to Paris—depended on these questions.
I felt a cold bead of sweat slowly trickle down my back. My palms were damp, making the pen slip slightly in my grip. I could hear my own heart, a loud, heavy thud in the quiet room. Tension was everywhere. Students around me were biting their lips, clicking their pens, and shifting uncomfortably in their seats. I took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm the storm inside my chest. Focus, Lian. You know this. Focus.
I was halfway through the difficult second section when a shadow fell across my desk. I looked up, and my breath caught in my throat.
It was him. Jonathan. The handsome stranger from the stairs.
He was walking slowly down the aisle, checking each row. He wore a crisp white shirt and dark trousers that made him look even taller and more elegant. His dark hair was perfect, and he moved with an easy, confident grace. As he passed my desk, our eyes met.
I expected him to look away, but he didn't. His rare, golden eyes—eyes the color of warm sunlight—lingered on me. In that moment, the room, the other students, and the exam paper faded away. There was only him. I felt my face heat up, a deep blush spreading across my cheeks. I knew my lips were bright red, a stark contrast to my pale, stressed face. I quickly looked down, but I could feel his gaze still on me.
When I dared to look again, I saw a flicker of something in his eyes. Was it… admiration? Curiosity? A slow smile started to form at the corner of his lips. It wasn't a smile of superiority; it was gentle, warm, and something... more. He seemed to appreciate my focus, my stress, my red lips against my pale skin.
My heart was no longer beating from fear; it was racing from confusion and a strange, unfamiliar emotion. How was I supposed to solve these equations when my mind was now full of golden eyes and warm smiles?
Suddenly, his voice cut through the silence. It was deep and calm, a soothing sound in the tense air. "You have thirty minutes left," he said, his gaze scanning the room before settling on me again for a heartbeat. "Please, hurry up."
I looked back at my paper, my hands slightly trembling. I knew I had to finish, but the image of his eyes kept appearing between the numbers. This was not just an exam anymore; it was the start of something I didn't understand. I grabbed my pen tighter, the cool metal feeling strange against my damp skin. I need to pass. I need Paris. And maybe... just maybe... I need to see him again.