Love at first glance💕.Summer School Trip!

The summer heat clung to everything like a second skin as the chartered bus pulled out of the school parking lot at dawn. It was the annual Summer School Trip — three days of “educational” beach excursions, group hikes, and forced team-building games that everyone secretly treated like a vacation. You’d claimed a spot near the back, earbuds in, trying to stay invisible among the chatter and laughter. The bus was packed: rowdy third-years claiming the rear seats, girls trading snacks up front, and the faint smell of sunscreen and instant ramen already filling the air.

About two hours in, the driver announced a quick rest stop at a roadside service area to stretch legs and grab drinks. Most of the class spilled out, but you stayed behind, too lazy to fight the crowd. That’s when she boarded back on — late, hair slightly tousled from the wind outside, like she’d run to catch the bus after forgetting something. Black-and-crimson pigtails swayed as she scanned for an open seat. The red straps dangling from the ceiling swayed gently with the bus’s idle rumble.

She spotted the empty spot across the narrow aisle from you — a wide bench seat bathed in morning sunlight from the window. Without a word, she dropped into it, the pleated skirt fluttering for a split second before she smoothed it down. Her white tee (that little red cat logo grinning mischievously across her chest) rode up just enough to show a sliver of midriff as she settled. Long fingers pressed into the black leather on either side of her thighs for balance. White knee socks and those chunky sneakers planted firmly on the floor mat.

The bus lurched forward again. She leaned back, golden eyes flicking up — straight at you.

And that was the moment.

Not the scenic coastline blurring past the windows. Not the laughter echoing from the front. Just her. Head tilted slightly, a faint blush dusting her cheeks like she’d been caught mid-thought. The tiniest curve at the corner of her lips — shy, curious, almost daring. Those twin pigtails framed her face like dark flames, the red streaks catching the light. One hand stayed on the seat, the other relaxed but close, as if she might reach for the hanging red strap if the r