Arista's POV
By Wednesday, the school had officially decided one thing:
Kaelor Han and I were definitely something.
We weren't.
But rumors don't care about facts.
"Lichi!" Sana stage-whispered the moment I walked in.
I stopped mid-step. "I swear, if you keep calling him that, I'm switching schools."
Mira laughed. "Relax. It suits him."
"It does not," I protested, though my lips twitched.
From across the room, Kaelor caught the nickname, blinked once, and mouthed, I'm a fruit now?
I covered my face.He didn't needed to know that.
He grinned.
The teasing wasn't the hard part.
The hard part was how… normal everything felt with him.
Too normal.
Like sitting beside him during free period and not feeling the urge to overthink every breath. Like laughing without checking who was watching. Like feeling calm — which scared me more than panic ever did.
"Why do you look like you're solving a murder mystery?" Kaelor asked, leaning over my notebook.
"I'm thinking," I replied.
"That's dangerous," he said seriously. "You should be supervised."
I snorted before I could stop myself.
He looked pleased. "Achievement unlocked."
During lunch, the rain started again — light taps against the windows.
"I hate rain," I muttered.
Kaelor gasped dramatically. "That's illegal.
Rain is top-tier main character weather."
"You're ridiculous."
"Thank you," he said, proud.
When the bell rang, we both headed toward the balcony without planning it. It just… happened.
The air smelled like wet concrete and something peaceful.
"You were really good on stage," he said.
"Like, unfairly good."
"You literally flipped mid-dance."
"Pure talent," he replied. "And panic."
I smiled, then hesitated. "I almost panicked before going on."
"I know," he said gently.
I looked at him.
"You were counting breaths," he added.
"Three in, four out."
My chest tightened. "How do you—"
"Lucky guess," he said quickly, scratching his neck. "Also I panic before tests."
That made me laugh.
The rain suddenly came down harder.
"No umbrella," I said.
Kaelor looked at the sky, then at me.
"Excellent. We'll survive."
He held his bag over our heads instead. It did absolutely nothing.
We stood there, soaked and laughing.
For once, my mind was quiet.
I felt… safe.
And that scared me.
---
Kaelor's POV
She laughs like she doesn't expect happiness to last.
I notice things like that.
I joke a lot — it's easier that way. Makes people think I'm light, uncomplicated.
I am light.
I just also know how heavy things can get.
When she goes quiet, I want to distract her.
When she panics, I want to ground her. Not because I'm trying to be anything special — but because it feels natural.
Derek watches us.
Not in a curious way.
In a calculating one.
I don't like that.
So I joke louder. Smile wider. Stay closer.
---
Arista's pov
After school, Derek stops us in the hallway.
"Nice performance," he says. "Very convincing."
Kaelor raises an eyebrow. "Thanks. I've been practicing my Oscar speech."
I almost choke.
Derek's jaw tightens. "You think this is funny?"
Kaelor shrugs. "Life's funnier when you don't take everything personally."
Derek looks at me. "Be careful, Arista."
Kaelor steps slightly forward, casual but firm. "She is."
Something about his tone makes Derek back off.
At home, Sarvin looked up from his puzzle.
"You're smiling," he observed.
"I'm not," I lied.
He tilted his head. "Is it the funny boy?"
I froze. "You don't know him."
Sarvin smiled knowingly. "I know enough."
That night, as rain tapped against my window, I realized something terrifying:
Kaelor wasn't chaos.
He was calm disguised as laughter.
And I didn't know how to protect my heart from something that felt this… good.