"Hi, Anja. Is everything okay?" He asked her as he sat down next to her. Anja snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards him, looking at him sadly.
"I'm fine," she said, but her eyes and body language betrayed that she wasn't telling the truth.
"Are you sure? I called out to you earlier when you passed by, but you didn't notice me."
Anja looked up and let out a deep sigh. "It's the end-of-year school performance."
"The end-of-year school performance?" Fran said in surprise, and Anja nodded. It was already May and the school year was coming to an end, so the end-of-year school performance would likely be held, as it was every year in elementary school. But what did it have to do with Anja's sadness? As soon as Fran wondered about it, as if she had read his mind, Anja explained everything to him. "The teacher wants me to perform. To sing."
"You sing?" Fran's eyes widened.
"And I play guitar," Anja added, impressing Fran even more. "My teacher heard me humming during break, and my friend Eva blabbed that singing isn't my only talent, but that I also play an instrument." Anja said in a vulnerable voice, and then continued, "And now my teacher is urging me to perform."
She glanced down, her fingers fumbling with the backpack strap beneath her feet. Fran leaned closer and asked her, his voice gentle and encouraging. "And you don't want to?"
Anja looked up and tried to explain to him, hoping that Fran would understand, "It's not that I don't want to, but..." She hesitated for a moment before continuing, "I've never performed before, especially not in front of a big crowd. Everyone will be there, teachers, students, parents..."
Fran interrupted her panicked listing by soothingly placing his hand on her shoulder. Anja met his gaze, her heart pounding.
"It will be alright. You know how I know? Because you're frighteningly good at everything! Hey, you helped me fix a bunch of failing grades. And that was with all your studying and responsibilities. What's one performance to you? You can do it, believe in yourself!"
Fran's words echoed deeply in Anja and she felt a lump in her throat. Blinking back tears, she managed to hold them in, but one escaped down her cheek. Fran gently caught it with his index finger, and his touch was as gentle as his words, "If it gets hard for you. If you get nervous, remember that I'm in the audience. And that I'm rooting for you!"
Anja looked deep into Fran's eyes and Fran noticed that her lips were slowly coming closer to his. His heart stopped for a moment in shock and before he could process what was happening, they were interrupted by the school bell, making them both flinch. Anja nervously looked away, then quickly directed it back towards Fran and said awkwardly, "I have to go. My class is starting."
Before Fran could say anything in response, Anja had already stood up from the bench and walked away into the distance. Fran watched her leave, with only one thought on his mind. What had almost happened just now? If it weren't for the bell, would Anja have... kissed him?

(Read full chapter on Neovel)

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