Close Your Eyes

"You what?" Mia said through gritted teeth, gripping the phone tightly.

"You never told us the reason why we were "bullying" you. We couldn't think of anything else," Katy said meekly, almost apologetically.

Mia's breath caught, and the frustration in her voice was palpable. "Then come up with an excuse. Anything! Don't go telling the whole college that I have a crush on Haru Soma!"

"Don't worry," Katy added quickly, trying to reassure her. "Sakura made it look like we were lying."

"Really? How?"

"Well... since we kind of said you suspected Sakura had a crush on Haru—"

"What?!" Mia gasped, horrified.

"Calm down. Sakura called us out on it. She asked why you'd suspect that she had a thing for him when she wasn't even around on the first day, and you weren't here the next few days either," Himari explained, her voice shaky.

Mia let out a long, shaky sigh of relief, but then exploded again.

"I asked you guys to do one thing! Just one! Make Sakura look like the bad guy! You pretend to be innocent. Make her look like she's making false accusations! And now—now—" Mia's voice trembled with frustration, "—you made her look like the hero!"

Before they could say anything else, Mia hung up abruptly, throwing her phone onto the bed with a loud, frustrated scream.

…

"I'm afraid there's nothing we can do until the bleeding stops," the nurse said gently, her tone calm. "Let's get you cleaned up first, my dear."

Her phone rang, and she turned away from Sakura. "I'll be with you in a moment, dear," she said, answering the call.

Sakura hesitated, glancing at Haru, and despite everything inside her wanting to tell him to stay, she didn't want to sound clingy. "Thank you for your help, Haru. You can go to your lecture if you want," she said, forcing a smile.

Haru frowned, recognising that smile too well—it was the same one she wore when she didn't want to show what she was truly feeling.

"Are you sure you want me to go?" Haru asked, his voice quiet, searching her face for any sign of honesty.

Sakura lifted her chin slightly, the chin lift she always did when she was lying, though this time, it was more reluctant than usual. "Yes," she replied softly.

Haru's eyes narrowed slightly, concern flickering in them, but he didn't push it. Instead, he took a seat in front of her.

"Close your eyes," Haru said, his voice gentle but firm.

Sakura obeyed, her breath shallow. She could feel the air around them growing heavier, the tension between them almost tangible.

Haru took one of the chlorine wipes and began gently wiping the blood from her face. His touch was soft and careful, his fingers brushing her skin as he slowly lifted her chin to dab at the blood on her nose.

She's so beautiful,' Haru thought, a rush of warmth flooding his chest. Her eyelashes are so long... And her lips are... so close. I could kiss her right now—no, don't do that! Focus!

Sakura could feel Haru's steady breath against her skin, his proximity making her pulse race. She wondered if he could feel her heart hammering in her chest, or worse, hear it.

I hope she doesn't hear my stupid heart pounding, Haru thought, his own breath unsteady as he tried to focus on cleaning her up.

Sakura's eyes fluttered open. She met his gaze, and for a brief moment, everything else seemed to fade away—nothing mattered but the way they looked at each other.

The room felt suddenly hotter.

"Thank you, young man," the nurse said, breaking the spell between them.

Sakura and Haru both pulled away, the space between them suddenly feeling colder.

"No problem," Haru muttered, clearing his throat, embarrassed.

The nurse smiled warmly. "Looks like the bleeding stopped. Here's an ice pack for your nose. You're free to go now."

"Thank you," Sakura said, smiling at the nurse before standing to leave with Haru.

…

As they walked down the quiet halls, a thick silence settled between them. Haru kept a wide distance, clearly embarrassed by his earlier thoughts.

The only sound was the echo of their footsteps.

"I'm not in the mood to go to the lecture," Sakura said, breaking the silence. "Wanna ditch?"

Haru smiled, his expression softening, and for the first time, Sakura felt her breath catch at the sight. This was the first time she'd seen nineteen-year-old Haru smile like this in years. It was different. It was real.

"Sure," Haru said, his voice light, and it made her heart skip.