Unchained Heart

4. Unspoken Words

Ania's POV

I was about to leave the park when suddenly...

"Ania, wait," he called out my name.

I stopped walking. The second time I heard that voice, I immediately recognized it. Chills ran down my spine as I realized who was behind me. I hesitated, unsure if I should turn around.

"Can we talk?" he added.

What made him decide to talk now after all this time of avoiding and not speaking to me? I felt frozen in place. I had so many questions, and he didn't know how much I blamed myself for why he suddenly left me.

Gathering all my courage, I slowly turned around. And yes, I wasn't mistaken. It was Lay. I tried hard to hold back my tears. He looked okay, unlike me.

I approached him, handed him the handkerchief, and immediately walked away. As soon as I turned my back, tears started flowing down my cheeks. Why did I have to suffer like this? Seeing him brought back all the pain I had felt. All our memories flashed before me. Strangely, the first thing I felt wasn't anger. I felt longing, and at that moment, I just wanted to run into his arms and hug him tightly.

Lost in my thoughts while walking, I didn't realize I was already in front of my house. I wiped my face before entering. I didn't want my mom to worry if she saw me like this.

End of Ania's POV

Ania couldn't sleep and spent the entire night tossing and turning in bed, thinking about why Lay wanted to talk to her. She didn't want to assume, but her heart still had hope for them.

Despite being sleep-deprived, Ania woke up early to get ready and go to school.

At School

Classes were over, and everyone was preparing to go home.

"Why didn't Mitch come to school today?" Ania asked Elaine.

"He didn't wake up early. He had a hangover," Elaine replied.

"And you? How was your date with Yuan?" Elaine added.

"It was okay. I enjoyed talking to him," Ania said.

"Enjoyed? If you enjoyed it, why do you look like this now? Did something happen?" Elaine asked skeptically.

"What do you mean 'look like this'?" Ania asked, pretending not to understand.

"Oh, Ania. I can tell when something's off with you. As soon as you walked in today, you were yawning non-stop. You didn't sleep well last night, did you? And your eyes are puffy," Elaine said to her friend.

"Keep your voice down," Ania said, embarrassed. It was the end of the day, so only a few people were left there. "I'm fine. I just played games all night and lost track of time, which is why my eyes are like this," she added, trying to hide the emotional turmoil she was going through.

Elaine didn't say anything but looked at her friend, clearly not believing Ania's excuse. Soon after, they both left and headed home. As they were going, Elaine realized she had left her phone. They searched her bag but couldn't find it, so Elaine returned to the room, telling Ania to go ahead without her since she needed rest. They said their goodbyes, and Ania went on her way.

While walking, Ania felt like someone was following her. She wasn't scared or anxious because many students were around. She noticed that other students were whispering and looking in her direction.

Ania looked at herself, wondering if something was wrong. Was her dress dirty? Why was everyone's attention on her? After inspecting herself and finding nothing wrong, she saw Blei.

It wasn't her they were looking at; it was Blei. Ania tried not to look at him and continued walking.

Once they were a bit further from the crowd of students, Blei gathered the courage to talk to Ania. He walked ahead of her, surprising her.

"Can I talk to you?" he asked politely.

Ania couldn't figure out why Blei wanted to talk to her. They weren't that close.

"Is it school-related? I noticed you weren't in the lecture earlier. Do you need notes?" she asked Blei.

"No, no. I was excused because I had basketball practice," Blei replied.

"Basketball?" Ania asked. Hearing 'basketball' made her think of Lay immediately. "So, you're also part of the basketball team?" she added.

"I just joined. Anyway, I just wanted to ask you, how are you?" Blei asked.

"How am I?" Ania repeated, puzzled by his question. She couldn't understand why Blei was suddenly interested in her well-being.

Ania wondered why Blei was asking about her well-being. She wondered if she looked sick or if her eyes were so puffy that even someone she wasn't close to was concerned.

"I'm okay," Ania replied to Blei. "If that's all, I'll be on my way," she added.

"I must be bothering you. Sorry. I'm glad you're okay. I'll go now," Blei said, then quickly left.

He had just walked with her. Their directions weren't the same because Blei returned to the parking area. Ania, meanwhile, took a ride home since her house was quite far. She was left wondering about Blei's sudden departure.

Soon after, Ania arrived home.