The sky was orange, almost like a painted canvas stretched across the horizon. The clouds were thin and scattered, glowing softly as the sun slowly sank behind the buildings. Ivan felt unusually silent inside, wrapped in a strange sense of peace as he watched the beauty above him. Moments like this always made his chest feel lighter.
He had always been a nature-loving boy someone who admired the outside world, the quiet strength of Mother Earth, the way the sky changed colors without asking anyone's permission. But that part of him had slowly faded after he locked himself away in a small, dark room of his own making. Isolation became his habit. Silence became his comfort.
Today felt different.
"Let's walk home together," Ivan whispered.
His voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if he wasn't sure the words were allowed to leave his mouth. Even he was surprised by himself. He rarely invited anyone into his space-physical or emotional.
Reyaan heard him and turned to look at him, confusion clearly written on his face. This was the first time Ivan had asked him to walk together. They had met only this morning, yet the air between them already felt oddly familiar.
"Oh... okay," Reyaan replied after a brief pause.
To break the silence, Reyaan spoke again, trying to stretch the moment into something longer, something meaningful.
"Last week, I bought a new game."
Ivan glanced at him. "Which one?"
"Zombie Hunters."
Ivan stopped walking for half a second. "No way-I play that."
Reyaan's face lit up. "You do?"
"Yeah."
"I tried it at the arcade," Reyaan said. "The old one near my previous house."
Ivan nodded. "I liked the old arcade more-it was cheaper. The new place charges double per round."
"True," Reyaan agreed. "Arcades are getting expensive these days."
They continued walking side by side, the rhythm of their footsteps syncing naturally. The conversation wasn't forced. It flowed, simple and light, like something that didn't need effort.
"Ivan?" Reyaan asked suddenly.
"Yeah?"
"Are we friends now?"
The question caught Ivan off guard. He blinked, then tilted his head slightly. "What if I say no?"
Reyaan smirked. "Then I won't lend you my PlayStation."
Ivan let out a short laugh. "Who-are you begging?"
"I wasn't-"
"Why would I be?"
They both smiled, the tension breaking into something warm.
After a few steps, Reyaan slowed down. "Anyway, my house is the other way."
Ivan nodded. "Alright-see you at school tomorrow."
"Bye, buddy."
Buddy.
The word echoed in Ivan's head long after Reyaan walked away. Buddy? Why did he call me that? It sounded so casual, so easy-like the way gamer kids called each other after teaming up online. People you'd never met, yet somehow trusted.
They had shaken hands earlier that day. Was that a coincidence, or just a trend? Ivan didn't know. But the word stayed with him.
Reyaan.
A transfer student.
I met him this morning, Ivan thought, and for the first time, I felt a real connection with someone. Not forced. Not awkward. Just... real.
Yet something about Reyaan unsettled him.
Earlier that day, Reyaan had mentioned his father-briefly, carefully-but there was pain hidden beneath his casual tone. It wasn't something people shared easily, especially with someone they had just met. The memory of Reyaan's expression kept replaying in Ivan's mind.
Why would he open up to me?
Why trust me with something so personal?
Ivan stood still for a moment, watching the last trace of orange fade from the sky into deep blue. The world felt quiet again, but this time it wasn't lonely.
Maybe some connections don't need time.
Maybe some people recognize each other without knowing why.
As Ivan turned toward his own path home, he realized something scared him more than the silence he was used to.
This connection felt real.
And real things had the power to hurt or heal.
He wasn't sure which one awaited him.