Lying on her bed, Aile stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought. The events of the day replayed in her mind, each scene bringing a wave of overwhelming embarrassment so intense that she wanted to bury herself.

She kicked her legs in frustration, almost breaking her bed in the process, before finally calming down enough to confront her feelings head-on.

‘So that’s it… I like him… I like the Scientist.’

She had suspected it for a while. Being near him made her heart race inexplicably. Sometimes it was so comforting that she felt completely at ease, and other times …