His eyes

Just then, my pen slipped from the desk and fell to the floor. I leaned down to grab it, but before I could, a hand reached out, his hand. Aizen had already picked it up.

As he was returning it me our eyes met.

For a moment, the noise around us faded. Just like in the movies.. everything in the background felt blurred, and there was wind out of nowhere, like it was just the two of us in the classroom. Those eyes..same as the ones in my dream, stared back at me, quiet and unreadable.

Up close, they were mesmerizing. His lashes were long, dark and just annoyingly perfect.

I hadn't noticed them before, but now, they almost framed his eyes like shadows.

Seriously, why does God give boys such pretty eyelashes.

He was staring at me too, I don't know what he was looking at but then bell rang, cutting through the tension like a blade.

It was recess.

I noticed too late everyone had been watching us. Their eyes flickered between me and Aizen like they'd just witnessed something important, something they didn't understand but would definitely gossip about later amd I didn't want to be the the topic of their gossip.

I snatched the pen from Aizen's hand, muttered a quick "thanks,", grabbed Jane's wrist and ran out of classroom without looking back.

We hurried toward the ground, but Jane stopped midway. Her gaze locked onto mine, brows raised, lips parted like she was holding back thousands question at once.

I sighed, "Okay, fine. You win. I'll tell you everything."

She followed as I pulled her toward our usual hideout, a little shed near the big neem tree. It was our place. No teachers, no classmates. Just us and the silent breeze.

As we sat down on the bench, I ran a hand through my hair and tried to gather my scattered thoughts.

My heart was still pounding from earlier, from the way our eyes met, from the overwhelming familiarity of a stranger I shouldn't know.

"Remember when I asked you if it's possible to dream about someone and then actually meet them in real life?" I began. My voice sounded, uncertain.

Jane frowned, still unsure where this was heading. "Umm… yes? And?"

"Well…" I hesitated. "I had a dream last night. It was weird. Really weird."

She leaned in. "How weird?"

"It felt so vivid. Like I wasn't dreaming at all. It felt like I was there, like I was supposed to be there." I paused. "There was this boy-"

"Boy, huh?" she teased, grinning, unable to resist.

I rolled my eyes, though my heart fluttered a little. "Do you want to hear this or just keep making that face?"

"Okay, okay." She laughed and playfully put her finger on her lips, sitting back with exaggerated patience.

I took a deep breath.

"I don't remember his face clearly… like it was blurred, out of focus. But his eyes, I remember those. And I swear they were the same as Aizen's. The exact same."

I paused again.

"And he had this keychain, the same one Aizen has. I noticed it again just now when I picked up the pen."

Jane's grin faded slowly, replaced by curiosity and something like unease.

"I even bumped into him earlier on my way to school. At the crossing. I didn't think much of it at the time, but now... now my mind is full of curiosity and questions. I know these are probably coincidences, but " I looked down. "It doesn't feel like that."

Silence hung between us. I glanced up, hoping for some kind of logic or comfort from Jane.

She was staring at me thoughtfully, arms crossed. "Girl, I really want to tell you it's all in your head. That dreams are just dreams. But this? I don't know. The way you're describing it, that's unsettling. Are you sure about the eyes and the keychain? Maybe your brain saw him before and just linked him into your dream?"

I bit my lip. Maybe. Maybe she was right. Maybe I had seen him somewhere before, at a bookstore, on the road, or just passing by without noticing.

But still...something about it didn't sit right.

"But I don't think I remember him from anywhere else, though," I murmured, my voice barely louder than a thought.

Jane tapped her chin thoughtfully, then grinned with that spark she always had when she was about to drag me into something chaotic.

"Well, there's one way to find out. Let's go back to the class."

I stared at her, half-horrified. "You want me to just…walk in there and ask him? 'Hey, were you in my dream last night?' Yeah sounds totally sane."

She laughed. "No, dummy. Just observe. Get closer. Maybe talk to Eric if Aizen's too intimidating. You'll figure it out."

The idea made my stomach twist. Get closer? I wasn't even sure if I could look at him again without my heart trying to launch itself out of my chest.

Still, part of me was curious. A reckless, aching part that wanted answers. That wanted to know why this stranger was in my dreams and that particular dream felt so vivid.

"Fine," I said, slowly standing. "But if I die of embarrassment, it's on you."

She smirked. "Deal. Now let's go before they start wondering if we ran off for good."

We walked back toward the building,