SHE ONLY DID HER CLASSMATES’ HOMEWORK FOR MONEY—UNTIL ONE LOVE LETTER CHANGED EVERYTHING
Chapter 2
Jason placed the folded piece of paper on Mia’s desk.
She stared at it.
“What is that?”
“A letter.”
“I can see that.”
Jason sat down.
“I need you to write it.”
Mia looked at him.
“Another assignment?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“A love letter.”
Mia blinked.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then:
“How much?”
Jason laughed.
“Why does everything have a price?”
“Because you came to me for work.”
He shook his head.
“Fine. Fifty dollars.”
Mia reached for the paper.
“Who is it for?”
“A girl.”
“Obviously.”
“Her name is Elena.”
Mia unfolded the paper.
At the top, Jason had written three sentences.
She read them.
Then looked at him.
“This is terrible.”
Jason put his hand over his chest.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ve been trying for two hours.”
“You need to read more.”
“That’s why I’m paying you.”
Mia sighed.
“What do you want to say?”
Jason became quiet.
“I want her to know that she’s the first person who makes me want to become better.”
Mia looked up.
Jason continued.
“She doesn’t know I like her.”
“Then why write a letter?”
“Because I can’t say it.”
Mia frowned.
“You talk constantly.”
“Not about things that matter.”
That sentence stayed with her.
She looked back at the paper.
“Anything else?”
Jason smiled.
“I like the way she laughs.”
Mia wrote it down.
“I like that she always helps people.”
Another sentence.
“I like that she remembers little things.”
Mia paused.
Then asked:
“What if she rejects you?”
Jason shrugged.
“Then at least she’ll know.”
Mia looked at him.
“That doesn’t sound efficient.”
Jason smiled.
“Love isn’t supposed to be efficient.”
Mia didn’t answer.
She had never understood why people willingly made themselves vulnerable.
It seemed irrational.
Dangerous.
Unnecessary.
But she agreed to write the letter.
That evening, Mia sat at her desk for three hours.
She rewrote Jason’s thoughts again and again.
She wanted the letter to sound honest.
Not exaggerated.
Not dramatic.
Not artificial.
Eventually, she wrote:
There are people who enter your life loudly, and there are people who quietly change the way you see the world.
She stopped.
She reread the sentence.
It felt strangely personal.
She continued.
You probably don’t realize how often I look for you in a crowded room.
Mia froze.
She had never written anything like this before.
She knew the mechanics of romance.
She had studied literature.
She understood symbolism.
Metaphor.
Character development.
But writing about real feelings was different.
There was no formula.
No correct answer.
She finished the letter around midnight.
The next morning, Jason read it outside the library.
He looked stunned.
“This is incredible.”
Mia nodded.
“It’s just writing.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“You made it sound like I actually know what I’m feeling.”
“You do.”
Jason smiled.
“Can I ask you something?”
“What?”
“How did you write this?”
Mia shrugged.
“Observation.”
“You’ve never been in love?”
“No.”
Jason stared at her.
“Never?”
“No.”
“Not even a crush?”
“No.”
“Why?”
Mia looked away.
“I don’t have time.”
Jason smiled.
“That might be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Mia frowned.
“It’s practical.”
“Maybe.”
He folded the letter carefully.
“Thanks, Mia.”
She nodded.
Jason stood.
Then stopped.
“You know something?”
“What?”
“You’re really good at understanding feelings for someone who claims not to understand people.”
Mia didn’t answer.
He walked away.
That night, Mia opened her laptop.
But she couldn’t concentrate.
She kept thinking about the letter.
About the sentence she had written.
About Jason’s expression.
And, most strangely, about the idea that someone could make another person want to become better.
For the first time, Mia wondered what it would feel like to have someone look at her that way.
She quickly pushed the thought away.
It was just a love letter.
Nothing more.
At least, that’s what she told herself.
