RYLAN POV
( I told myself it was nothing. Just proximity. Just an ordinary moment blown out of proportion by my tired mind.I shouldn't have been watching.)
But my eyes followed her anyway.
( Aira stood outside the car, Luka in front of her—too close for my liking. I didn't hear their words, but I didn't need to. The way Luka leaned in, the way Aira nodded softly, the way her wrist stayed in his hand a second longer than necessary—)
My jaw tightened.
- She is mine.
- She had to be.
- And yet, the sight of him touching her—gently, carefully—lit something dark inside my chest.
-Jealousy.
I knew it was.
( I gripped the steering wheel harder, forcing my expression to remain neutral behind my sunglasses. Mom's voice echoed in my head—Control yourself, Rylan.)
- I'd mastered that lesson years ago.
- But Aira made control difficult.
( When she finally turned and walked toward my car, Luka stepped back, throwing her one of his stupid smiles. She laughed—soft, real—and for a moment, I hated him for being able to pull that sound from her so easily.)
[ She opened the passenger door and slipped inside.]
[ The scent of her filled the car instantly—something light, something warm.]
[ I didn't look at her right away. I didn't trust my face.]
"Seatbelt," I said quietly, my voice steady even though my thoughts weren't.
[ She fumbled, clearly distracted, and I almost chuckled. Almost.]
(I leaned over to help, my movements slow, careful. Her breath hitched when I got close, and I felt it—felt the tension, the awareness, the thing neither of us was brave enough to name.)
- When I pulled back, the silence returned.
- But it wasn't empty.
- It was heavy.
- Dangerous.
( I started the engine and drove, eyes on the road, my heart doing everything except what I told it to do.)
( She stared out of the window, pretending she hadn't noticed me watching her reflection the entire drive.)
I had.
After a while, I spoke.
"So… how was your day?"
( She turned to face me, and there was a light blush on her cheeks. I knew exactly where it came from—from when I leaned in and fastened the seatbelt for her.)
"It was good," she said softly. "What about you?"
( I could hear it in her voice—it hadn't really been good. But I didn't push. Instead, I answered her question.)
"Boring. Like always."
"Boring?" she asked.
"Yeah. Last year is always boring. Professors just keep talking about research assignments and deadlines. When you come into your last year, you'll understand what I mean."
[ I glanced at her eyes—beautiful—then looked back at the road.]
She chuckled.
"Yeah, right. When I come to my last year, then I'll finally understand your so-called struggles."
(My heart stumbled at that sound. I'd only heard her laugh like this with Noah, with her friends, with Mom. I never thought she'd laugh like that with me.)
And I loved it.
I shot her a bored look. "It's not 'so-called.' When you're buried under assignments and expectations, it really does get boring."
She smirked. "So you don't like assignments? Or do you just like running away from your studies?"
I sighed. "Aira, I'm the topper in my entire department."
Her smirk widened. "So you're telling me a topper never runs from their studies?"
I looked at her. "Really? You think that?"
She had a point. I'll give her that.
But still—
"Miss Aira," I said calmly, "I don't run."
- And my eyes locked with hers after that.
- She didn't say anything.
- Neither did I.
- The rest of the drive passed in silence.
( When we arrived at the house, I stopped the car at the main gate. She reached for the door, ready to step out. My mind had been holding onto a question the entire ride—one I kept forcing myself not to ask.)
But in the end, it slipped out anyway.
"Aira."
( I said her name, and she stopped. The car door remained half open as she turned back toward me.)
I took a slow breath and finally asked,
"Luka… he looks close to you. Is he that important to you?"
[ I watched her think about my question before answering.]
"Yes," she said calmly. "He's important to me because he's my friend, Rylan."
Then she added softly,
"Anyone who stays with me, I care about them. Whether it's Ava, Mila, Rhea, or Luka—they're my friends, and they matter to me."
- I stayed silent.
- Because what my heart wanted to hear—
- she had said it.
( When the door closed behind her, relief washed over me. Luka was only her friend. Nothing more.)
( And for the first time that day, my lips curved into a smile.)
I felt… happy.
AIRA POV
( I closed the car door behind me and took a step toward the house, but my body felt lighter than it had all day.)
I went straight to my room.
[ The moment I shut the door, I leaned my back against it and let out a slow breath.]
Today had been… exhausting.
- Rumors.
- Stares.
- Whispers.
- Luka.
- Rylan.
Everything felt tangled inside my head, like threads pulled too tight.
( I dropped my bag on the chair and flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind betrayed me immediately—replaying moments I didn't ask it to.)
[ Rylan leaning over to buckle my seatbelt.]
- The way his cologne lingered in the car.
- The calm in his voice when he asked about my day.
- I groaned softly and turned onto my side.
Get a grip, Aira.
( I told myself it was nothing. Just proximity. Just an ordinary moment blown out of proportion by my tired mind.)
[ But Rylan's question echoed again in my head—out of nowhere.]
Is Luka that important to you?
- And if I was being honest with myself… I had told the truth.
- Yes, Luka was my friend.
( I knew I blushed when he hugged me. I knew my heart raced sometimes when he teased me. I knew it could look like I liked him that way.)
But it wasn't the same.
( Because when Rylan touched me—when his hand brushed mine or his voice dropped close to my ear—my heart didn't just race.)
- It stopped.
( Every time he came closer, butterflies exploded inside me. His presence did things to me Luka never could.)
- And that was the difference.
- I liked Rylan that way.
[ Luka was just my friend. A boy best friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.]
Before my thoughts could spiral further, my phone rang.
( I quickly pulled it from my pocket and saw it was a group video call—Rhea, Mila, and Ava.)
[ I sat up fast, leaning back against the headboard, and accepted the call.]
"Hey, guys," I smiled.
Through the screen, all three of them spoke at once in cheerful voices, "Hey, Aira!"
Ava was the first to speak. "Are you okay?"
I smiled lightly. "How am I looking?"
Mila laughed. "She's okay, Ava. She's a strong girl, right, Aira?" She winked at me through the screen.
I smiled back. "Of course. I'm stronger than some stupid girl who cries over false rumors."
Rhea nodded shyly. "Yeah… right. You are strong."
Mila stretched on her bed. "So, what are you all doing? I'm just sitting on my bed, redesigning some outfits. Trying to make them look nicer."
Ava sighed dramatically. "I'm stuck with my mom. She dragged me to an art gallery, and now she's busy talking with her friends while I'm standing alone and bored—so obviously I called you guys."
I chuckled. "I'm just lying on my bed, doing nothing. What about you, Rhea?"
"Nothing special," Rhea replied softly. "I'm just working on some digital art."
"Ooo, that's nice," I smiled. "Show it to me when you're done."
"Okay," she said. "I will."
[ There was a short pause before Ava suddenly perked up.]
"Oh—by the way," she said casually, a little too casually, "there's a party tomorrow night."
Mila's head snapped up. "Tomorrow night?"
"Weekend party," Ava corrected proudly.
"MY Department party. Music, food, people, chaos. Everything college life promises."
I frowned slightly. "Ava—"
"Nope," she interrupted instantly. "Don't even start. I already know that tone."
Mila laughed. "Yeah, Aira, that was your I'm about to say no voice."
Rhea smiled softly. "She always does that."
I sighed. "Guys, I don't think—"
"Aira," Ava cut in again, pointing at the screen, "you have survived rumors, stares, and emotional damage this week. You deserve one night of fun."
Mila nodded dramatically. "Exactly. Consider this therapy. Cheap therapy."
I snorted despite myself. "That's not how therapy works."
"Who cares?" Ava shrugged. "It works for me."
Rhea tilted her head. "It's tomorrow night anyway. Weekend. No classes. Just us."
Mila smirked. "And dressing up. Don't forget that part."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's suspiciously specific."
Mila grinned wider. "Because I already know you're coming."
"I didn't say yes," I protested.
Ava leaned back, crossing her arms. "You don't have to. We already decided."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "You guys are impossible."
"And you love us," Ava shot back.
Rhea smiled. "Just think about it, Aira. One night. No overthinking."
[ I exhaled slowly, feeling something light settle in my chest.]
"Fine," I said finally. "I'll think about it."
Mila clapped. "That's basically a yes."
Ava smiled brightly. "So it's a yes? That's my girl." She laughed, clearly proud of herself.
Mila leaned closer to her screen, eyes sharp with interest. "Okay, then. Important question—where are we meeting?"
Ava didn't even hesitate. "My house."
Rhea raised an eyebrow. "Your house?"
"Yeah," Ava nodded enthusiastically. "We'll all meet here, get ready together, and then go to the party."
Mila smiled slowly, already imagining it. "Sounds perfect. I'll bring my car, then."
Ava snapped her fingers. "Exactly. Mila drives, we vibe."
I chuckled. "You've already planned everything, haven't you?"
Ava grinned shamelessly. "Obviously. I was just waiting for you to agree."
Rhea smiled softly. "So it's settled. Tomorrow evening at Ava's place."
Mila pointed at the screen. "No excuses, Aira. Be on time."
I laughed, shaking my head. "Okay, okay. I'll be there."
Ava clapped her hands. "Good. Tomorrow night is officially girls' night."Ava spoke again, her voice cheerful.
"I'm sorry girls, I have to hang up. My mom is calling me. Tomorrow evening at my house, okay? Bye."
[ We all said our goodbyes—bye, take care, ttyl—and the call ended.]
[ After that, I lay back on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Slowly, night settled in.]
( Later, we were all sitting at the dining table. Noah was talking nonstop about her picnic trip—how much fun she had, how her teacher liked the outfit, how her classmates called her beautiful and cute.)
"And it's all because of you, Aira," she said proudly.
[ I chuckled, feeling warm inside.]
My mom looked at me. "So, Aira, how was college today?"
I focused on my food and nodded. "It was good, Mom."
Richard smiled. "That's good to hear." Then he turned to Rylan. "What about you Rylan? How's your assignment and research going?"
Rylan lifted his gaze toward his father.
"It's going good, Dad."
[ That was it. No smile. No extra words. Just a direct answer.]
Something about it felt… cold.
( I realized then—I'd never really seen Richard and Rylan talk like a normal father and son. They talked, yes. But never warmly.)
My mom's voice broke my thoughts again.
"Aira, do you want to share anything else?"
I looked at her and nodded. "Mom, I'm going to a party tomorrow night with my friends."
She smiled immediately. "That's good to hear, Aira."
I smiled back. "Yeah, Mom."
Before I could say anything else, Rylan spoke.
"I'll drop you at the party venue."
My mom nodded. "That sounds good. Rylan will drop you."
I hesitated. "Actually, Mom, I'm going to Ava's house first."
Then I turned to Rylan. "If you want, you can drop me at Ava's place."
He smiled lightly. "Okay, Aira."
- And that was it.
- No questions. No hesitation. No arguments.
[ I felt a small shock inside me.]
Rylan was changing.
( Or maybe… I was only just starting to notice how soft he could be with me.)