The following Saturday was crisp and golden, like autumn had taken a deep breath and wrapped the campus in sunlight. Leaves danced through the air, crunching softly underfoot. It was one of those days that felt like it was made to be remembered.
Steve messaged her in the morning.
Steve:Walk with me? No destination. Just us.
She didn't hesitate.
They wandered past the old stone path behind the art building, across a small footbridge that led to the quiet part of campus no one ever visited. Michelle loved how easy it was to be with him — the way the conversation danced between silly and deep without warning.
"I always thought college would feel more overwhelming," Michelle said, her scarf tucked around her chin. "But lately, it just feels like… this."
Steve looked at her, his eyes soft. "Like being exactly where you're supposed to be?"
She nodded.
They stopped at a bench under a tree that had turned entirely orange. The sun flickered through the leaves, painting them in warmth.
He sat close beside her. Their shoulders touched.
There was silence again — the kind that didn't feel empty, just full of something neither of them could explain.
Steve turned to her, his voice quiet. "Michelle?"
She looked at him.
His eyes didn't leave hers. "I think about you even when I don't mean to. When I'm walking to class. When I hear your laugh from down the hall. It's like… my brain just finds you. Every time."
Her breath caught. She wanted to say something, anything — but her heart was too loud.
So instead, she reached up slowly, brushing a loose strand of hair from his forehead.
He leaned in — not too fast, not too slow — just enough for her to know she could stop him if she wanted to.
But she didn't.
Their lips met like a whisper — soft, unsure, full of promise. And when they parted, neither of them spoke.
Because they didn't need to.
Michelle rested her forehead against his and smiled, eyes closed.
"I think about you too," she whispered.
Ten minutes later, they were still sitting there. Hands held. Hearts full.
And in that quiet little corner of the world, nothing else mattered.
Not tomorrow. Not what this was called. Not where it would go.
Only this.
Only now.
Only them.