Chapter 4: The Day Everything Changed (And I Didn't Know Why)
Y/N's POV
December 23rd.
The water park trip.
Everyone was excited.
I wasn't.
Because my stomach felt like it was tied in ten knots.
Because today felt like something was going to happen.
Something I wasn't ready for.
Jay dragged me toward the bus.
"Come on! Sit where you can see him."
"I'm not doing that," I muttered.
"Sure," she smirked. "But he will."
I rolled my eyes.
But deep inside, a part of me wondered if she was right.
---
Riki's POV
I didn't plan to look for her.
But the moment I stepped onto the bus, my eyes scanned every row until I found her.
Quiet.
Pretty in the most effortless way.
Trying not to look at me.
Which somehow made me want to look more.
Max nudged me.
"You're going to stare the whole trip?"
I didn't answer.
Because yes.
Yes, I was.
---
Y/N's POV
At the water park everything was loud—
water crashing, kids screaming, groups shouting.
But all I felt was him.
Watching me.
Not openly.
Not obviously.
But enough for my skin to heat under the sun.
In the wave pool, Jay leaned close.
"He's behind you."
I turned.
There he was.
Too close.
Too warm.
Too real.
Our eyes met.
The world didn't stop—
but my heart did.
---
Riki's POV
She was shivering in the water.
Not from cold—
from me.
I kept looking even when I told myself not to.
And she didn't know this,
but I had dreamt about her too.
Not dramatic.
Not romantic.
Just her standing next to me.
Like she belonged there.
Like she was mine
in a world where I didn't know how to want things.
---
Y/N's POV
After lunch, everything changed.
Coco tripped near Riki—again.
She fell on him—again.
People screamed, "OMG Riki–Coco!"
Someone filmed it.
Someone said, "They look cute!"
And something inside me cracked.
I looked at Riki.
He wasn't smiling.
He wasn't blushing.
He wasn't even looking at Coco.
He was looking at me.
Like he was silently saying,
Don't misunderstand.
But I already had.
---
Y/N's POV (On the Bus Back)
I sat near the window.
Alone.
Quiet.
Trying not to cry.
Riki came in late and instead of sitting with Max—
he chose the seat right behind mine.
My heart stuttered.
I didn't turn around.
But I felt him.
Every second.
Every heartbeat.
Every unspoken word.
---
Riki's POV
She was sad.
And I hated that.
I didn't know what I did wrong.
But seeing her wipe her eyes secretly in the window reflection—
It broke something inside me.
I leaned forward.
Close enough for her to hear me.
Not close enough to scare her.
"Are you okay?" I whispered.
She froze.
Didn't answer.
But her silence was loud.
Louder than anything I'd ever felt.
---
Y/N's POV (Closing)
I couldn't answer him.
If I did—
my voice would crack,
my heart would spill,
my feelings would escape.
So I stared outside, and the world blurred past the window.
I didn't know that this moment—
his quiet question,
my quiet pain—
would be the beginning of something neither of us was ready for.
Something messy.
Something beautiful.
Something real.
---