Chapter 20

Bella's POV

I stared at him, my heart beating faster. Michael, with his warm smile, looked genuinely concerned as his gaze met mine.

"Hey Bella," he began, his voice soft and soothing. "I didn't see you at lunch, and when I asked around, no one seemed to know where you were until I heard you were sent home. I got worried, so I decided to come to check up on you."

I blinked, not sure how to respond. Michael was someone I never thought would be truly concerned about me since we never really talked much. And here he was, standing in front of me, looking like the sweetest man I ever met. "Oh," was all I managed to say, my voice sounding much weaker than I had intended.

He held out a bag to me, a sheepish grin on his face. "Since you missed lunch, I brought you some lunch. Thought you might be hungry." I looked down and saw a neatly packed sandwich and a small container of salad. It was a simple gesture, but it meant more to me than I could express.

"Thank you," I said softly, a genuine s