An ordinary day enveloped the city in a calm routine, and nothing foreshadowed any changes. The morning noise of the school, the mixed voices of the students and the chirping of birds created a familiar background. I was walking towards the building, deep in conversation with my friends. We were animatedly discussing yesterday's basketball game, throwing jokes and comments at each other when it happened.
A moment later, I bumped into someone. A light thud, the sound of scattered papers, and then silence. When I turned around, I saw a girl sitting on the sidewalk. Without immediately realizing what had happened, I automatically squatted down, extending my hand to her.
"I'm sorry," I muttered, looking awkwardly at the scattered folders.
She looked up, and at that moment, my heart seemed to skip a beat. Her skin shone with a golden hue, dotted with brown spots, as if the sunlight was freezing on her. Long fiery red hair framed her face in soft waves. But the most striking thing was her eyes — there were three pairs of them, deep, mysterious, as if they saw the world differently. For a moment, I forgot where I was.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see you," her voice was soft, a little guilty. The girl gathered up the papers and squeezed them in her hands. — I was in a hurry... I took it to my mom at work.
Her long tail swayed slightly to the rhythm of her speech. She was unusual, even among the other lizard-like people who studied at our school. There was something about her that fascinated me, something I couldn't explain.
I couldn't help but smile and, to hide my embarrassment, I laughed lightly.
"Let me help you." I'm going the same way anyway.
The girl laughed softly, her laughter was like a light rustle of the wind, and looked over my shoulder at my friends, and then turned her gaze to the school building behind us.
"Are you sure you're going the same way?" Her voice was faintly ironic. — You seemed to be going to school.
I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, and behind me I heard the restrained laughter of my friends. They were clearly amused by this. But I tried to save my face and, overcoming my awkwardness, smiled.:
— Huh, yes, to school... But it's the least I can do to make up for my carelessness. By the way, my name is Max.
She gracefully smoothed her red hair out of her face and looked me straight in the eye. Those three pairs of eyes seemed to be trying to penetrate into the very depths of my soul.
"My name is Kate," she replied shortly, still staring at me intently.
I turned to my friends and said:
— Go without me, I'll catch up.
And before they could insert any more jokes, I picked up the folders that this miniature lizard was carrying and walked next to her.
We walked down the street, chatting about all sorts of things. The conversation gradually became easier, as if we had known each other for days. I found out that she, like me, is sixteen, but she doesn't go to school — her mother and uncle teach her. I wanted to ask about her family, but I decided not to be rude. However, I was increasingly fascinated by her personality.
She was interesting. Pleasant. Unusual. And yes... charming.
That thought made me freeze for a second. What will my parents think? They obviously won't like that I'm attracted to an amphibian and not one of our kind. Although if you think about it, even if it was a mammal, but not from the canine family, they would be shocked no less. But at that moment, I didn't care. I didn't expect anything more. I just wanted to get to know each other better, maybe make friends.
Kate stopped at a tall building with a bright red cross on the facade—a hospital.
"Wait here, okay?" — she asked, looking at me with a slight smile. "You don't have a security pass, and according to the rules, I can't take you inside."
I nodded.:
"Well, okay, I don't mind waiting.
She disappeared through the glass door, and I remained standing at the entrance, turning over in my head our short but unexpected conversation. I didn't wait long for her. A few minutes later, Kate came out of the hospital with a small bag slung over her shoulder. When she saw my questioning look, she smiled and explained:
— Mom instructed me to take the reagents home.
I just nodded, suppressing a smile. Our casual acquaintance unexpectedly dragged on, but I didn't mind at all. We said goodbye at the hospital, but before that, I steeled myself and asked for her phone number.
— Do you have social media? I asked, hoping to text her later.
Kate shook her head.
— No, I don't have any.
It surprised me a little, but I didn't get upset. The main thing was that now I had her number. From that moment on, we began to correspond frequently, and soon we met in person. I found every opportunity to spend time with her. We walked through the parks, talked about a variety of things, and shared our interests.
Kate turned out to be completely different, unlike anyone I knew before. Her peculiarity — not only external, but also internal — attracted me more and more. I found myself thinking that I really liked being around her.
One day, during one of our walks, something unexpected happened. We walked along a quiet alley, bathed in the soft light of the setting sun. Kate slowed her pace, turned to me, and without saying a word, lightly kissed my furry cheek.
I froze, as if time had stopped. Everything was mixed up inside: shock, embarrassment, joy, confusion. My heart started beating faster, and my tail twitched involuntarily. I didn't know how to react, but Kate smiled her kind and slightly sly smile and said:
"I like you."
These words, so simple but so important, made me feel like the happiest being on earth. From that moment our story began. She became a part of my life, and I became a part of hers.