Opal adjusted the strap of her backpack as she walked toward the school entrance, the autumn air crisp against her skin. The morning sun filtered through the golden leaves, casting a soft glow over the small town she had lived in all her life. Everything was the same—same streets, same faces, same routine. But today, something felt different.
She noticed him before she even realized she was staring. A tall figure leaned casually against the stone wall near the school gates, his dark hair tousled as if he had just stepped out of a dream. His sharp, chiseled features were too perfect, his skin impossibly smooth. But it was his eyes that unsettled her the most—an otherworldly shade of gray, intense yet unreadable, as if they held a thousand secrets.
Opal swallowed hard and forced herself to look away. Who is he? she wondered.
As she walked past, she swore she felt his gaze on her, a subtle chill creeping up her spine. But before she could steal another glance, the sound of laughter and chatter from her classmates pulled her back to reality.
Inside the school, her friends were already buzzing about the new guy.
"Did you see him?" one of them gushed. "He looks like he walked straight out of a movie."
"Apparently, he just moved here. No one knows much about him," another whispered.
Opal slid into her seat, her heart still pounding for reasons she couldn't quite understand. And then, as if the universe had a cruel sense of humor, the classroom door opened, and in he walked.
Caesar.
The teacher introduced him to the class, but Opal barely heard a word. He moved with an effortless grace, his presence commanding without even trying. And when his gaze finally met hers, just for a fleeting moment, a shiver of something strange and electric raced through her.
She looked away too quickly, pretending to focus on the notes in front of her. Get a grip, Opal.
But from that moment on, she knew—she would never be able to stop thinking about him.
Their first real conversation didn't happen until weeks after Caesar arrived in town. Opal had stolen glances at him in class, and sometimes, she swore he was looking back. But he was quiet, almost distant, as if he existed in a world separate from everyone else.
Then, one evening, fate decided to intervene.
Opal was walking home from the bookstore when the sky cracked open with a sudden downpour. She gasped, running under a tree, but the rain was relentless. That's when she heard his voice.
"You'll catch a cold standing there."
She turned, startled, to find Caesar leaning against the wall of a nearby café, holding out his jacket.
"I'm fine," she said, though she was already soaked.
He smirked. "You don't look fine."
Reluctantly, she accepted his jacket. It was warm, carrying a scent that was both familiar and unplaceable—like rain, pine, and something darker, something mysterious.
That night, they walked together under the streetlights, the rain slowing to a drizzle. Their conversation was hesitant at first, but then, it unraveled. They talked about books, music, and the strange feeling of never quite fitting in.
And just like that, something shifted.
They started spending time together, not as friends, not yet as lovers, but as something in between.
Their first date wasn't even meant to be a date. Caesar had mentioned a secluded spot by the lake, where the stars reflected perfectly on the water. Opal had laughed, calling it cliché, but when he invited her to see it, she found herself saying yes.
That night, they sat on a blanket beneath the endless sky, their shoulders barely touching, talking about everything and nothing at all.
"You're not like anyone I've met before," Opal admitted, hugging her knees to her chest.
Caesar chuckled. "That's probably because I'm not."
She turned to him, curious. There was always something just out of reach with him—something hidden beneath the surface. But he never gave her more than hints.
Still, she didn't care. She was falling for him, and she couldn't stop it.