A WISH FOR OUR NEXT LIFE

𝟐. 𝐇𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐭

Moon's POV:

A day had passed, yet I still couldn't stop thinking about her. The image of her face, with those striking yellow eyes and dark hair, kept replaying in my mind. Every time my thoughts began to wander, I found myself zoning out, caught in a whirlwind of memories and questions about her. It was getting worse; I'd lose focus every thirty minutes or so, drifting into a daydream where I imagined all sorts of scenarios involving her. One time, while I was lost in my thoughts again, my friend snapped me back to reality.

"Moon, what's up with you? You've been spacing out all day. Are you okay?" Lia nudged me, her brow raised in concern.

I blinked, trying to pull myself together, but it felt like pulling at tangled threads. "Yeah, I'm fine... It's just... By the way, do you know a girl? Kinda short, yellow eyes, black hair... she's Thai, I think?"

Lia's eyes widened as she popped a chip into her mouth. "Oh! You mean Elanor? Yeah, I know her. She's from room 134. Why?"

I hesitated, biting my lip. "She dropped her wallet yesterday. I wanted to return it, but had no clue what room she was in. Are you friends with her?"

"Not really. She keeps to herself, kind of a loner," Lia shrugged casually, her eyes drifting back to the TV, dismissing the topic.

I groaned, sinking deeper into the couch. "Ugh, how am I supposed to return it then?" The thought of confronting her made my stomach twist.

Lia rolled her eyes, clearly unbothered. "Just go to her room. It's literally a few doors down."

"Oh my god, Lia! Use your brain for a second. She doesn't know me. She'll think I stole her wallet or something!" I ruffled my hair in frustration, feeling the pressure mounting.

"She won't think that. Just tell her you found it and be done with it," Lia said, her tone dismissive. As much as I hated to admit it, she had a point. I just had to muster the courage.

"Fine," I sighed, leaning back against the couch. "I'll go after training." Lia didn't respond, too absorbed in the movie to care anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Training dragged on, each minute feeling like an eternity. But the second it ended, a wave of relief washed over me, mixed with a flutter of anticipation. "That's all for today, kids! Keep practicing. You're dismissed!" the coach finally said, cutting through the lingering tension.

I could barely contain my excitement as I gathered my things, heart racing at the thought of seeing her again. "Moon! Where are you off to?" Lene called out, jogging up to me, her ponytail bouncing.

"I'm going to return this wallet to Elanor. She dropped it yesterday," I replied, the nervousness creeping back into my voice like a familiar shadow.

"Ohhh, do you know what room she's in?" Lene asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Yeah, Lia told me earlier. Room 134."

"Got it. Well, I'll head back to our room first. See you later!" Lene waved, disappearing down the hallway.

I started my walk toward Elanor's room, my heart pounding harder with every step, the echo of my own thoughts amplifying my anxiety. Why was I so nervous? It was just returning a wallet, for crying out loud. But as I passed each door, counting down-132, 133-my palms started sweating, and I could feel the heat creeping up my neck.

"134." I whispered under my breath, standing frozen in front of her door. I raised my hand and knocked three times, each rap sounding louder than the last. My heart raced in the silence that followed.

"Hold on, Kinny!" I heard her voice call from inside. "Why are you so early today? I thought your training-" Her words trailed off as she opened the door, eyes wide in surprise.

I couldn't help but smile at her expression, which was a mix of confusion and curiosity. "Umm, hi. I'm the person you bumped into yesterday. I saw your wallet fall, so... here. I wanted to return it." I held out the wallet, feeling slightly sheepish.

Elanor blinked, her surprise quickly morphing into confusion as she glanced between me and the wallet in my hand. She reached out slowly, taking it from me. "Oh... I didn't even realize I dropped it. Thank you." Her voice was soft, almost hesitant, as if she wasn't used to someone going out of their way for her.

"No problem," I said, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly. "I just figured you'd probably need it."

She nodded, holding the wallet close to her chest, as if protecting something much more valuable than just money or identification. "Yeah... I would've been in trouble without it."

An awkward silence hung between us, thick and palpable. I felt like I should say something, anything, but my mind went blank. Her yellow eyes flickered toward mine, and I realized she was waiting for me to speak.

"So... um, you're Elanor, right?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing, desperate to break the tension.

"Yeah, that's me. And you're... Moon?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I was caught off guard that she knew my name, even though she said it as if testing if it was right.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied with a small chuckle, feeling the flush creep up my cheeks. "How did you know?"

She shrugged, her expression unreadable. "You're kind of known around here. I hear people talking."

I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but I didn't press further. Instead, I nodded, taking a step back. "Well, I should probably get going. I just wanted to make sure you got this back."

Before I could turn to leave, she spoke again, her voice cutting through the air. "Wait."

I stopped, turning back to face her, a little startled.

"Thanks, again... for this," she said, her voice quiet but sincere. "I don't really have... many people I can count on."

Her words lingered in the air, heavy with unspoken weight, and for the first time, I saw the loneliness in her eyes. The way she hugged the wallet to her chest felt like she was clinging to something deeper, something she feared losing.

"Anytime," I replied softly, offering her a small smile. "If you ever need anything... you know where to find me."

She didn't say anything, but her eyes softened just a bit, as if my words had reached her. After a brief moment, I turned and walked away, my heart still racing-but for an entirely different reason now.

As I made my way back down the hallway, the feeling that this wasn't the last time I'd be seeing Elanor settled in my chest. Something about her pulled at me, a curiosity I couldn't ignore, and I had a feeling there was more to her story than she let on. I wasn't sure why, but I found myself wanting to know more, to understand the world behind those guarded yellow eyes. The thought alone sent a thrill through me, and I couldn't shake the idea that this was just the beginning of something I had yet to fully grasp.