Arista's POV
The day after the games period felt strangely calm.
Not awkward.
Not dramatic.
Just… quiet in a way that made me notice things more.
I walked into school with Advi, both of us still half-living in yesterday's energy.
"People are still talking about the fest performance," she said.
"And about you and Kaelor playing freeze tag like kids."
I groaned. "Please don't start."
"I'm not," she smiled. "I'm just observing."
That word stayed with me.
In class, Kaelor sat two benches ahead. He wasn't being loud today. No jokes. No exaggerated reactions. Just listening, scribbling something in his notebook.
It felt odd.
Yesterday he was running, teasing, laughing.
Today he was… composed.
I caught myself glancing at him more than once.
Why do I even notice this?
----
Kaelor's POV
I knew she was looking.
Not because she made it obvious—Arista never did—but because I'd started recognizing the silence that came before her attention.
Yesterday was fun. Too fun.
And fun had consequences.
People talk. They assume. They twist things.
I didn't want to become noise in her life.
So today, I stayed still.
-----
Arista's POV
During lunch, Meera leaned close.
"You okay?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You're quiet. And you keep staring at Kaelor like you're solving a math problem."
I choked on my water. "I am not."
Sana smirked. "Relax. If staring was illegal, half the school would be suspended."
Kaelor passed by our table just then.
"Hey," he said, casual as ever. "PT teacher's asking for group leaders after school. Event prep."
My stomach dipped in the hot chili sauce.
"Oh. Okay," I replied.
He smiled. Soft. Quick. Gone.
Why did that feel… important?
After school ,the classroom was mostly empty when we gathered—me, Kaelor, and a few other group leaders.
The teacher talked logistics. Stalls.
Performances. Responsibilities.
I wrote everything down neatly, focused.
Then Kaelor leaned slightly toward me.
"You okay after yesterday?" he asked quietly.
I looked at him. "Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"
He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips.
"Just checking. You ran like you were angry at me."
"I was," I said honestly.
He laughed. "Good. That means you're human."
For some reason, that made me smile.
----
Kaelor's POV
She smiled.
Not the polite one.
Not the defensive one.
The real one.
I looked away before I could overthink it.
Arista's POV
Walking home later, my phone buzzed.
📩
Zoe: So… Kaelor again today?
📩
Meera: Don't answer. We know.
📩
Sana: Just saying—something's changing.
I looked up at the sky.
Nothing dramatic had happened today.
No running. No freezing. No teasing.
And yet, something felt closer than before.
Like the laughter had settled into something quieter.
Something steadier.
And I didn't know yet whether that scared me—
or made me feel safe.