the quiet girl smiles at him in a way she never has before. a smile that reveals more than she wanted to, but maybe that smile is helpful. she can only hope so.

the girl holds out a hand in friendship, and the boy takes the hand. friendship is always safe, and they seem to keep good company.

but then the boy slowly begins to take more, working his way up, and into the heart of the girl, unintentionally of course, but he does it none the less. The things that he tells her, the stories, the way he says things. The way that he cares. The way he can always make her smile. Her friendship matters, her opinion matters. So he works his way up, without even knowing.

And the girl lets him, she enjoys it actually. It makes her feel giggly inside, it makes her feel wanted. It makes her laugh at the little things, like the things he says, and the way he looks at her, the way the sun shines on the trees on a beautiful summer day. It makes her feel special. He makes her smile, and oh how good does it feel to smile.

She held out a hand in friendship, and he took her heart.