The first week passed.
Every day Kayen entered class and came straight to sit in the seat next to Arav. Without saying anything, without explanation—as if this was his designated place.
Arav felt uncomfortable at first. Kayen's presence... he took notes in class, paid attention, but occasionally Arav felt—Kayen was looking at him. From the side, from the corner of his eye.
But they didn't talk. Almost never.
"Do you have a pen?" Kayen had asked on the first Wednesday.
"Yes." Arav had given him a pen.
"Thank you." Kayen's fingers had touched his hand for a moment. Cold. Strangely cold.
At the end of class, when returning the pen, Kayen had whispered, "Your handwriting is beautiful."
Arav hadn't known how to respond.
But the real problem started from the second week.
Kayen was new to class, handsome, mysterious—naturally he attracted everyone's attention. Girls circled around him, boys also wanted to be friends with him.
But Kayen... polite to everyone, but kept his distance. Didn't mix much with anyone.
So they found another way.
The first day, at the end of class, a girl—named Pim—came to Arav. In her hand was a beautifully wrapped box.
"Arav, you sit next to Kayen, right?" she smiled shyly.
"Yes..." Arav looked at her suspiciously.
"Then... can you give this to him? I... I'm a bit shy to give it directly..." she became more embarrassed.
Arav took the box. Light. Probably chocolates or cookies inside.
"Okay," he agreed reluctantly.
The next day, three more came. One boy, two girls. All carrying gifts.
"Arav, you know Kayen, right?"
"Will you give this to him?"
"I made coffee for him..."
Third day, a note in Arav's locker. Fourth day, chocolates in his bag. Fifth day, a junior stopped him in the corridor and gave him a handwritten letter.
"Please, give this to Kayen senior!"
Arav's desk was now filling up with gifts. Chocolates, cookies, handmade bracelets, artwork, even an expensive perfume.
"What is happening?" Min said laughingly, standing next to Arav. "You've become Kayen's delivery service?"
"I don't know why everyone's giving them to me," Arav said irritably. "Can't they give them themselves?"
"Because Kayen doesn't accept anything directly from anyone," Min explained. "I've seen it. Yesterday a girl went to give him chocolates at lunch, he politely refused. Said he had allergies. But I saw him eating chocolate cake in the cafeteria."
"Then...?"
"So everyone thinks since you sit next to him, if you give them, he might accept."
Arav put his hand to his head. "This isn't my responsibility—"
"But you're accepting them," Min was amused. "What does this mean? Are you Kayen's personal assistant?"
The next day after class, Arav pulled out the accumulated gifts from his bag. Seven small boxes, three letters, one handmade bracelet.
Kayen was still sitting in his seat, looking at something on his phone.
"Um... Kayen?" Arav called in a hesitant voice.
Kayen looked up, his eyes on Arav. Those deep, dark eyes.
"Yes?"
Arav pushed the gifts toward him. "These... are for you. Various people from class gave them."
Kayen looked at the gifts. Then at Arav. No reaction on his face.
"Why did you take them?" he asked.
"Because... because they gave them to me. Told me to give them to you."
"And you agreed?" A hint of a smile on Kayen's lips.
"I... I thought it would be rude not to take them—"
"I don't want them." Kayen said clearly.
"What?"
"These gifts. I don't want them." Kayen looked back at his phone, as if the matter was closed.
Arav stood there stunned. "But... I mean, should I throw them away? That... that would be quite rude—"
"Then you keep them."
"Me?" Arav's eyes widened. "But these aren't for me—"
Kayen stood up, to his full height. He came and stood right close to Arav, only a few inches between them.
"Arav," he whispered, his voice strangely enchanting, "I only accept gifts from one person."
Arav's heartbeat increased. "Who?"
Kayen's eyes locked onto his. One second. Two seconds.
Then he smiled slightly and walked past him. "The one I've chosen myself."
Arav stood there, his hands full of others' gifts, his face red.
That night, he tried to return all the gifts. Finding everyone one by one.
"Sorry Pim, Kayen didn't want to take it..."
"Sorry, he said he has allergies..."
But the next day the same thing happened. More gifts. More letters.
Arav had now become the unofficial "Kayen's gatekeeper."
And the most annoying thing?
Kayen was enjoying it. Every day when Arav went to return gifts with an embarrassed face, Kayen gave him that mysterious smile.
As if this was exactly what he wanted.