EPISODE 2 — A Smile Too Bright to Look At

The first break of the day arrived like a sigh of relief. Students spilled out of the classrooms in loud clusters, some heading straight to the canteen, others to the courtyard. Evan, as usual, preferred to wait until the noise settled. Crowds made him uncomfortable—too many eyes, too many chances to be noticed.

He was halfway through packing his things when a familiar presence stopped in front of his desk.

“Ready?” Liam asked, swinging his camera lightly by its strap.

Evan blinked. He had forgotten Liam said they’d talk during break. “Ah… yeah.”

“Cool. Let’s go somewhere quiet.”

That surprised him. Most people dragged their partners to loud areas, but Liam walked ahead, weaving through the noisy hallway like he knew Evan wouldn’t survive more than a minute in it. Evan followed silently, watching the back of Liam’s uniform shirt sway with each step.

They ended up on the school rooftop. A place most students didn’t bother checking unless they needed cellphone signal—or peace.

A gentle breeze greeted them. The sky stretched wide above, blue and soft. Evan felt his shoulders loosen for the first time that morning.

Liam hopped onto a low ledge, camera resting on his lap. “I like coming here when the world gets too loud.”

Evan looked at him—really looked at him. The boy’s smile was bright as usual, but here, under the open sky, it felt… quieter. More real.

Liam glanced at him. “You okay?”

Evan nodded. “I’m fine. It’s just… quiet here.”

“That’s the point,” Liam grinned. “So, about the project—”

“How does it work?” Evan asked softly. “I’ve never done a collab like this.”

“Well,” Liam tilted his camera up, catching a bit of sunlight on the lens. “You write something, I capture something. The theme is ‘Portraits of Youth.’ So… emotions, stories, reflections. You know, dramatic stuff.” He wiggled his fingers in the air.

Despite himself, Evan let out a small laugh. Liam noticed instantly—and his smile warmed even more, like he’d just discovered something precious.

“You should laugh more,” Liam said.

Instantly, Evan’s face heated. “I… don’t really—”

“It looks good on you.”

Evan froze. No one had ever said something like that to him. Compliments usually felt forced or backhanded. But Liam’s voice was soft, sincere, careful. It made Evan’s chest tighten.

He cleared his throat. “So… what do you want me to write?”

“What do you want to write?” Liam asked instead. “Something real. Something that feels like you.”

Real.

Evan swallowed hard. Real was dangerous. Real meant exposing pieces of himself.

But Liam wasn’t pressuring him—just waiting, patient.

“I can try,” Evan said quietly.

Liam nodded, satisfied. “Good. And I’ll take some candid shots for reference.”

Before Evan could react, the camera clicked.

Evan’s eyes widened. “Did you just—”

“Yup.”

Click.

Another shot.

“Liam!” Evan turned away, flustered.

“It’s natural,” Liam said with a playful grin. “You look better when you’re not posing.”

“I wasn’t ready.”

“That’s why it’s good.”

Evan covered half his face with his hand. “Delete it.”

“Nope.”

“That’s… not fair.”

“Life isn’t fair, but photos are forever.”

Evan groaned softly, but the corner of his lips twitched upward. Liam caught it—but didn’t photograph it this time. Instead, he lowered his camera slowly.

“Hey.” Liam’s tone shifted—gentler, quieter. “If I cross any lines… just tell me, okay?”

Evan blinked. He hadn’t expected that. People usually didn’t ask for boundaries. They just took.

“I… will,” he whispered.

“Good.” Liam gave him one of those soft, careful smiles—the one he didn’t use for anyone else.

Evan’s chest fluttered again.

They spent a while discussing ideas. Evan suggested writing small vignettes—short stories about different types of teenagers. Liam loved it and said he’d match each one with photos capturing the same emotion.

After a few minutes, the breeze picked up, blowing Evan’s bangs into his eyes.

Liam reached forward suddenly.

“Hold still.”

Evan tensed as Liam gently brushed the strands aside, his fingers grazing Evan’s temple—warm, tender, unhurried. Evan’s breath hitched.

“There,” Liam murmured. “Your eyes are better when they’re not hiding.”

Evan felt his heart stumble painfully. Too close. Too gentle. Too much.

He stepped back quickly. “We—we should go. Class starts soon.”

Liam didn’t push. Just nodded. “Okay. But we’re doing this again later.”

Evan didn’t trust himself to answer, so he hurried to the door, cheeks burning.

As Liam followed behind him, he lifted his camera and quietly snapped one last photo—Evan’s silhouette against the sunlit rooftop, head slightly bowed like he was trying to hide from the world.

Liam smiled to himself.

Why do I want to know more about you, Evan Reyes?

And why does your silence feel louder than everyone else’s voice?

He didn’t have the answers yet.

But he knew one thing:

This project wasn’t going to be simple.

Not with the way his heart reacted every time Evan looked at him.

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