Layers of Heat

Layer 10

For the past week, Leila noticed that Ken had begun to strangely pull away from her. Of course, they couldn't see each other everyday, but they at least exchanged messages throughout the time they couldn't hang out. And yet, he was slow to reply to her messages and sometimes even left her on read. She didn't even see him at the bus stop after work when he was usually fresh out of the gym.

Just as she wondered what she had done wrong, Winnie brought up something interesting.

"I heard there's some tension between you and Ken."

The two of them had been resting in their dorm room during a Saturday afternoon, too lazy to do anything else.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"From Miles."

Leila blinked. "I thought you hated each other?"

Winnie's expression was contemplative. "Our hatred for each other can be dismissed when it comes to gossip about you two."

Though Leila laughed at her friend's words, Winnie remained serious.

"Seriously though. It's kinda weird how you two were all lovey-dovey one week and suddenly cold the next."

"Well..." Leila pursed her lips, suddenly realizing something. "Maybe that was the issue."

"What do you mean?" When she told Winnie about her confession at the basketball game, her friend frowned. "That doesn't make sense. Because I'm a hundred percent sure Ken likes you too."

Considering his strange behavior started after that night, Leila couldn't agree. Maybe she had screwed up and made their relationship awkward. At least, she knew if the situation had been reversed and she didn't reciprocate his feelings, she wouldn't want to keep hanging out with him in fear of leading him on. Besides, Ken was a nice guy, so maybe he found it difficult to give her a flat rejection. Or maybe he was trying to find the right words to let her down gently.

In that case, was it better to give him more time or just receive the rejection right now?

"I guess he really did only see me as just the Little Penguin," Leila murmured.

Winnie frowned. Throughout the years they had spent together, she had never seen her friend so listless. For some reason, it really pissed her off. No matter the occasion, Leila was always cheery and happy-go-lucky, to the point of it being tiresome and overbearing. But that was just how she was, and Winnie had long ago grown to accept that about her friend.

And yet, of all the things to make her lose her pep, it was some random guy she met not too long ago? Plus, he was friends with that prick, Miles? And worst of all, there was absolutely no reason for the two of them to be behaving that way.

Ken liked Leila, and Leila liked Ken.

But if this was the way he was going to treat her, then there was only one thing to do.

—

Miles opened the door of his dorm room and saw the person he least expected.

"Winnie?" The urge to tease her was irresistible. He raised a brow and poked his head out into the hallway, looking both ways before returning his attention back to her. "I think you have the wrong room."

She glared, knowing exactly that he was messing with her. "Is Ken with you?"

"No, he's out. Why—?"

Winnie suddenly shoved him back inside his room, and to his surprise, she followed after him, shutting the door behind her. She walked further into the room and crossed her arms, staring at him. He understood what she wanted and went to stand in front of her.

Though she had a small stature, she made up for it with a bold personality. Her long wavy blond hair was usually tied up into a bun, but she had let it down today, the tips hovering just above her bottom. She reminded him of vintage dolls, except, rather than looking creepy, Winnie could almost be considered cute.

"What's this about?" he said.

"I found out why they're so moody."

Miles didn't need her to elaborate on who they were. "Then tell me."

"Leila confessed."

"I'm aware."

Winnie gaped in anger. "Why didn't you mention this before?!"

He blinked. "Are you saying they're avoiding each other because of the confession?"

"Well, that's what Leila said."

Miles frowned. "That can't be right."

"Then do you have another explanation?" she retorted.

He didn't. "But they—"

"Like each other, I know. Which is why none of this makes sense!"

Miles stared at her in silence for a few seconds. "Why are you so heated up?"

She stomped up to him, and though her head only reached to the middle of his chest, he found himself taking a step back. Winnie poked him in his abdomen with a finger, the touch adding to the pressure of her presence and...something else.

"Because even though Ken is friends with you, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought he was a good guy," she hissed. "But if he's going to ghost Leila after her confession, after all they've done together, then he's an asshole, just like you, and he should stay the hell away from her."

A pang resonated in his chest. Miles knew that even though they spoke with each other more often these days, their past quarrels couldn't be so easily forgotten. Winnie still held bitter feelings towards him, and he was too prideful to right that wrong. Regardless, to hear such blatant animosity from her made him defensive.

And so, he raised a brow at her. "You came here just to say that? I guess that bad habit of yours is still kicking, huh? Maybe you should stop butting in when the situation has nothing to do with you before you humiliate yourself again."

Winnie slammed her jaw shut, and Miles immediately knew he had fucked up again. However, just like last time, she didn't cry or raise her voice. Instead, she spoke in a calm, even tone that did nothing to hide her rage.

"This does have something to do with me because it involves my friend. And I will kill anyone who hurts her."

Others might've thought she was joking, but Miles had seen the way she handled a knife.

Before he could get another word out, Winnie turned away from him and left through his door, her head held high and her spine straight. It was the exact same way she had done in the past, and just like then, he felt a strange sense of loss at the absence of her presence.