Words Behind His Acronym "MHIOY"

CHAPTER 9

Third Person's POV

Jaxel and Yuriel had just arrived home. Yuriel was going up the stairs holding a glass of milk, while Jaxel was coming out of his room and heading downstairs, reading a book. Suddenly, they bumped into each other. Yuriel's glass fell to the floor, shattering, and Jaxel dropped his book. In her panic, Yuriel almost slipped on the stairs because of the shards scattered on the floor.

She was startled when an arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her up to prevent her from falling. Her eyes widened when she realized just how close her face was to Jaxel. They were only a hand's breadth apart, and to anyone looking, it would seem they were embracing. In Yuriel's entire life, no man had ever held her like this, But in that moment, she realized she was in love with him. Her heart was pounding, and she couldn't bring herself to look away from his eyes, hoping this wasn't just a dream but knowing it was real.

Jaxel stared at Yuriel seriously, as if trying to read her thoughts. They gazed at each other for about five seconds before he finally looked away and left her standing there, stunned. Yuriel couldn't explain her feelings she was both thrilled and saddened. She felt excitement because the man she liked had looked at her that way, and sadness because she feared her feelings were growing deeper, to the point where she might not be able to control them anymore. She was scared that she might confess to him, afraid of getting hurt if he could never love her back.

Yuriel decided to ignore what had happened. She knew deep down that she loved Jaxel, but she didn't want to let him know. She certainly didn't want her feelings to grow even more. She went downstairs, grabbed a broom, and started sweeping up the glass shards scattered on the floor. After two minutes of cleaning, she went back to her room to sleep. It was already 9:00 PM, and she needed to rest to ease her mind and heartache.

An hour later, Yuriel was asleep, but Jaxel was still reading his book, seemingly lost in thought. To distract himself, he decided to step out of his room. He found himself in front of Yuriel's door, uncertain of why he was there. He hesitated, but eventually, he knocked. No one answered. He turned the doorknob, finding it unlocked, and saw her sleeping soundly. He approached and noticed that, even in sleep, she seemed sad. He covered her with a blanket and quietly left, closing the door behind him. He went to the kitchen, poured himself a glass of water, and drank it just as his phone rang. He checked the caller ID someone named Burn was calling. He answered immediately, sounding excited to talk to the caller.

Meanwhile, Yuriel woke up and headed to the kitchen. But before she could reach it, she heard a man's voice, full of happiness, talking on the phone. She mistook him for a thief at first because he was laughing. She was shocked to realize it was Jaxel. She stood frozen, watching him smile and speak sweetly to whoever was on the other end. She couldn't tell who he was talking to, but she thought it might be his mother. However, she knew he didn't speak that way when talking to his mom. Yuriel wondered who could make the "ice prince" so happy. She felt jealous because she had never been able to make him smile like that. Before their conversation ended, she felt as if cold water had been poured over her when she heard him say, "You're my Burn, right? And you always will be." Those words made her realize the person on the other end was a woman. Yuriel knew Jaxel didn't have a sister, so she was sure this woman was someone he loved someone who could make him smile.

Yuriel felt as though a million knives were stabbing her heart, awakening her to the painful reality that Jaxel loved someone else. Her tears flowed uncontrollably, and she left the scene, heading back to her room to cry her heart out. She knew from the beginning that Jaxel would never like her because he had loved someone for a long time. That explained why he wasn't interested in other girls and why he showed no interest in her. She kept telling herself, "That's why..." Yuriel vowed to herself to stop her feelings for him, even if it meant avoiding him altogether, just like before when she went home alone without needing to go back with him. She knew it would be difficult to fight a heart in love, but it was not right to let it completely fall.