Chapter 56: Hard Goodbye
I rubbed the back of my neck, suddenly feeling warm. "Just... I’ve never seen you in regular clothes before. It’s different."
She raised an eyebrow. "Different how?"
"Good different," I said quickly. "I mean, you always wear the school uniform, so I never really..." I gestured vaguely at her outfit. "You look nice. The clothes suit you."
She glanced down at herself, then back at me with this little smile. "What, this old thing? It’s just a t-shirt and shorts."
"Yeah, but it’s..." I stopped myself before I said something stupid. The truth was, seeing her like this made me realize things I’d been trying not to think about. The school uniform was like armor or something, made everyone look the same. But now, in her own clothes, she just looked... real. And pretty. Really pretty.
"It’s what?" she asked, genuinely curious now.
I looked at the ceiling. "It’s just different seeing you as, like, a regular person instead of just ’Nina from school,’ you know? You look comfortable. Happy."
She was quiet for a second, and when I looked back at her, her expression had softened.
"That’s... actually really sweet," she said. "Most guys would’ve just said something dumb about my legs or whatever."
"I mean..." I felt my face heat up. "I’m not blind. But that’s not the point."
She laughed. You’re such a dork."