I couldn't focus.
No matter how hard I tried, the words on the blackboard slipped right past my eyes like rain on glass.
The teacher's voice blended into noise, and my pen moved without meaning, filling pages with half-formed sentences I didn't remember writing.
Lin Yi didn't come to class.
That single thought kept looping in my head.
I stared at the empty seat beside mine, my chest tightening for reasons I refused to name.
scenes replayed over and over...his clenched jaw, his bloody knuckles, the way his voice went cold when he said those words.
I also didn't ask for your help that rainy day in the hospital… twelve years ago.
Twelve years ago.
That crying boy.
That day.
Was Lin Yi really him?
And if he was… then who was that woman he called mom?
The school doctor?
The strict but warm lady who always scolded students but bandaged their wounds like they mattered?
My head hurt.
I needed air.
I needed space.
I needed to talk to him.
When the bell rang, I stood up instantly, not waiting for anyone, not looking back.
I ignored the whispers that followed me, the curious glances, the unfinished rumors hanging in the air like smoke.
I wandered through the corridors, checking places I didn't even know why I was checking.
The back stairs.
The empty classroom near the art room.
The canteen terrace.
Nothing.
Then
I saw him.
The school terrace.
Lin Yi sat on the railing, one leg bent, the other hanging loose in the air, earphones plugged in, head tilted slightly upward like he was listening to the sky instead of music.
For a moment, I just stood there.
He looked… lonely.
I walked closer and, before my courage could escape me, reached up and pulled one earphone out.
"What..." he snapped irritably, turning
Then froze.
"Oh," he said. "You?"
That was it.
No sarcasm.
No smirk.
Just… surprise.
I sat beside him before my nerves could stop me and gently placed the loose earphone into my own ear.
Music flooded in.
"I've always liked to play with fire
Play with fire....🎶"
I blinked.
"That song suits you," I said softly.
He scoffed. "Tch. Don't analyze my playlist."
I tilted my head toward him, studying his face.
"So," I said carefully, "that runny-nose little boy was you."
His brows shot up. "Runny nose?"
"And pink cheeks," I added. "Crying like newborn"
He clicked his tongue. "Excuse me? You were crying harder than me."
"That's because you were crying!" I shot back. "I cried because you cried."
For a second
He smiled.
Not his usual teasing grin.
Not his lazy smirk.
A real smile.
Soft. Unguarded.
"Wow," he said. "So it's my fault."
I shrugged. "Obviously."
We sat there in silence, music playing between us like a fragile bridge.
The breeze brushed past, carrying the smell of dust and sunlight.
Then he spoke again.
"I didn't ask further," he said quietly, eyes fixed on the distance.
"But two angels came that day."
My heart skipped.
"One gave me hope," he continued.
"And one doctor adopted me."
My fingers tightened around the earphone wire.
He added. "She gave me a new life."
The school doctor.
His mom.
I swallowed.
And… the other angel?
I didn't say it out loud.
I didn't need to.
I looked away, my chest aching.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
"I didn't remember you. I'm sorry I upset you."
For a moment, he didn't answer.
Then he reached out and flicked my forehead lightly.
"you just said sorry" he said. "That's enough."
I stared at him. "That's it?"
"What, you want a dramatic forgiveness scene?" he teased. "Should I cry?"
I huffed. "Idiot."
He laughed, leaning back on his hands.
I hesitated… then spoke again.
"Let's go to the ice cream parlor," I said suddenly.
"My treat."
He blinked. "For what?"
"For… everything."
He squinted at me. "Pity?"
My face burned instantly. "No! I just...you saved me again, so..."
He burst out laughing.
"Look at your face," he said, amused. "I should've taken a photo."
I groaned. "I hate you."
"I'm kidding," he said lightly. "I love freebies."
I shook my head, standing up. "Come on, Bad Boy."
He paused.
"…You called me that on purpose, didn't you?"
I smiled. "Maybe."
He jumped down from the railing and walked beside me, hands in pockets.
And for the first time since all of this began, my heart felt… steady.
Not healed.
But not shaking either.
I smiled despite myself.
We walked out of the school together, side by side. Not touching. Not distant either. Just… there.
The late afternoon sun painted the road in gold, and for once, the whispers behind us didn't matter.
At the ice-cream parlour, he leaned over the counter like he owned the place.
"Choco-mint," he said confidently.
I blinked. "You didn't even ask me."
He glanced back. "You look like someone who wouldn't betray any flavour of ice-cream"
I scoffed. "You're ridiculous."
"And you're predictable," he replied smoothly.
I ordered two.
When I handed him his cup, our fingers brushed. Just for a second.
But my heart reacted like it was a full-blown disaster.
We sat by the window.
He ate slowly, eyes half-closed, like he was genuinely enjoying something for once instead of pretending not to care about anything.
"So," I said, trying to sound casual, "you come to the terrace often?"
"When I don't want to hear people," he replied.
Then, after a pause, "Or when I want to remember."
I didn't ask what.
Instead, I said, "You were brave. Back then."
He looked at me. "You were stupid."
"What?"
"Who gives chocolate to a crying boy with a running nose?" he smirked.
"You even told me angels exist."
I smiled faintly. "You looked like you needed one."
He stopped eating.
For a second, his expression softened in a way I hadn't seen before ... raw, unguarded.
"You know," he said quietly, "for a long time, I thought you were just something my brain made up to survive that day."
I swallowed. "And now?"
"Now you're real," he said. "And little stupid."
I said instantly "Thank you...but I'm not stupid"
He leaned back, arms crossed. "That doctor…my fav person ,my mom..she saved my body. Gave me food, shelter, a name.
And the other angel?"
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he looked straight at me - eyes sharp, knowing.
"You already know," he said.
My chest tightened.
"I'm sorry again " I whispered. "I didn't remember you. And I… said things today."
He shrugged lightly. "You didn't hurt me."
Then, quieter: "You just reminded me."
We finished our ice cream in silence .... not awkward, not heavy. Just… shared.
When we stood to leave, he stretched and said, "You still owe me lemonade."
I rolled my eyes. "Greedy."
"Consistent," he corrected.
Outside, the sky had turned pink.
He walked me halfway home and stopped.
"Don't let them decide who you are," he said suddenly. "Not Li Xue. Not anyone."
I nodded, throat tight.
"And Qin Yue?" he added, hands in his pockets.
"Next time your head hits someone's chest, try to aim better."
I laughed. "Shut up."
He smirked and turned away.
As I watched him leave, one thought echoed in my mind louder than all the school rumors combined :
Some angels don't have wings.
Some come back years later, with bruised knuckles, sharp smiles, and a heart that remembers everything you forgot.
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🎵 : Play with Fire
Song by Sam Tinnesz