The announcement of the school trip had thrown the entire hall into excitement.
Two days away from home,
An aquarium visit,
Amusement park,
Shared rooms.
Ping sat quietly, fingers intertwined on his lap, pretending to listen to the chatter around him while his heart did something else entirely.
Somewhere deep inside, he was praying not out loud, not even consciously, just a quiet wish repeated over and over.
Please...
"Students will be paired in groups of four to five" the teacher announced.
"Once paired, you will stick together throughout the trip and share the same room".
Keng was already with his friends – jinn,Tao and Bank when his gaze drifted, naturally, toward ping.
Girls nearby straightened instinctively, whispers rising as keng stepped forward.
Ping lost in his thoughts didn't realize keng was walking toward him until a shadow stopped in front of him.
"Ping", keng called
Ping looked up startled
"Do you mind joining us?"
For a second, he forgot how to breathe, he nodded quickly afraid his voice would betray him" I –i don't mind".
Behind them jinn burst out laughing.
"Told you", he said nudging Tao.
Tao grinned "that was obvious".
Bank scratched his head, half laughing, half defeated.
"I really thought you'd choose choose us over him..... but would you?" He muttered, answering his own question when keng didn't deny it .
Keng ignored them and gestured lightly for ping to follow him.
When they reached the group, jinn waved cheerfully,
"Hey, little ping"
Keng shot him a sharp look.
Jinn immediately coughed "Ah– uh – did I say something?".
Tao and Bank suddenly found the ground very interesting.
Ping's eyes widened "I'm not little", he murmured under his breath, cheeks warming.
Keng heard it.
The corner of his mouth lifted, not into a grin, but a smile that stayed.
They arrived at the aquarium, the excitement buzzing in the air.
Students hurried from one exhibit to another, pointing at the colorful fishes and taking pictures, laughter echoing across the hall.
Keng knew how ping felt in crowded spaces, so without a word,he gently held ping's hand.
Ping froze for a moment, surprised.
Keng didn't say anything, he just gave him that soft reassuring smile.
They walked like that, side by side, fingers loosely intertwined. They stopped in front of tanks, leaning closer, sharing quiet reactions. Keng would point something out,ping would nod, smiling softly.
The world shrank.
Their friends lagged behind, exchanging looks.
".... Are we invisible?", Tao whispered
Jinn shrugged " I think we've been erased"
Bank sighed"this is painful to witness"
They held each others hands teasingly consoling each other and went else where to have fun on their own.
It was time to head to their rooms, and ping's chest tightened with nervousness.
He couldn't believe he would be staying in the same room as keng for the night.
Every step felt heavier than usual, and his mind raced with a thousand "what if's"
Once inside, ping stayed clearly shy, sitting on his bed and quietly unpacking.
Keng on the other end kept glancing at him every so often, making sure he was settling in just fine.
Every now and then, their eyes met, and keng offered that small, reassuring smile that made ping's chest flutter.
After having their bath, and got ready for bed,the room had settled into a soft , quiet hum of whispered conversations.
Tao , the naughtiest among the friends suddenly sat up, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Let's play a truth or dare", he announced.
Then he looked at ping, a little pause "... Actually, truth is better tonight", he said with a smirk, as if he knew exactly what he was doing.
Keng leaned slightly toward ping, his voice gentle " you can go to bed if you don't want to play"
Ping hesitated but shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips "it's fine, I'll play"
The game started lightheartedly, laughter filling the room as silly secrets and funny truths came out.
Ping found himself slowly relaxing, enjoying the playful energy, but still acutely aware of keng beside him.
Then Tao leaned back, eyes sparkling with mischief "keng is there anyone you're crushing on recently?" You have to answer,if you don't.... You'll feed me for the rest of your life.
The room fell quiet for a moment and ping felt his stomach tighten.
He could hear keng's soft breath,see the way his friends leaned in waiting.
Keng's lips curved into a small smile, and his gaze landed on ping.
"There's actually someone I like, but I don't know if they'll like me back"
He said softly, trying not to reveal the person's name.
He glanced at his friends, and the teasing sparkle in his eyes made ping's heart feel like it might leap out of his chest.
Ping's cheeks heated, and he tried to focus on anything else, the ceiling, the floor, to folds of his blanket, but all he could think about was keng, smiling at him like that.
Ping blushed not sure but also sure who this person was.
One thing he was sure of was that he didn't want this trip to end anytime soon.