Celestial Echoes~

Chapter 10

Ren stared at Era for what felt like ages, watching her friend’s face as it flickered between thoughts. Ren’s impatience grew with each passing second. She even asked her repeatedly about the mysterious call, but Era remained silent, lost in a daze. Frustrated, Ren reached out and shook her, snapping her back into reality.

“What’s going on with you, Era? Who was that guy? Why are you so deep in thought? What did he say?” Ren’s questions tumbled out, her curiosity refusing to wait.

Era, still somewhat absent, muttered under her breath, “Ugh, shut up already, chatterbox.”

“What?” Ren raised an eyebrow, unable to catch her words.

“I said take a breath,” Era quickly corrected herself, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Take a breath? Why would I need to do that?” Ren’s confusion only deepened.

Era simply gave her a look, one that spoke volumes without uttering a single word. There was an unspoken message in her calm demeanor that Ren couldn’t quite decipher.

“Alright, fine. Just spill it. Who was that?” Ren finally said, rolling her eyes dramatically, clearly exasperated.

Era inhaled deeply before casually dropping the bombshell. “Joshua from SVT.”

Ren’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Seriously? The gentleman? Why on earth would he be calling you at this hour?”

Era shrugged nonchalantly. “Nothing major, just to say hello.”

Ren squinted suspiciously. “Just to say hello? Yeah, right.”

Era raised an eyebrow in return. “Why do you keep calling him ‘the gentleman’?”

Ren waved a dismissive hand. “It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”

“Whatever. Anyway, I’ve got to head out. Don’t skip class today, alright? See you later,” Ren called as she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed toward the door.

Era's POV:

As the door closed behind Ren, I let out a long, relieved sigh. Ren could be such a relentless chatterbox. Convincing her of anything felt like an uphill battle. She had no idea how exhausting it was trying to keep this secret. Ugh…

My thoughts drifted back to Joshua’s phone call, and my heart fluttered just thinking about it. Each word he’d said seemed to send my pulse racing, and my face had probably turned as red as a tomato during the conversation. Could someone help me? I had to cover my burning cheeks with my hands. Oh no… He made my heart melt like butter. How was I ever supposed to get over this? My logical mind knew he wouldn’t be mine, but my heart weighed heavy with the thought.

I tried to push it out of my head. Just let it go, you foolish Era, I scolded myself. I needed to calm down, but it wasn’t easy. There was also the nagging anxiety about what Ren would say if she found out everything that had happened. That thought alone made me shudder. Who knows how she’d react?

Lost in my spiraling thoughts, my phone buzzed, pulling me back to reality. It was a message from Joshua with the address for our meet-up. A glance at the location revealed it wasn’t too far from our apartment. Still, I could hardly believe this was happening. My teenage dream was unfolding before my eyes—Joshua Hong’s number in my contacts. Unreal…

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Sunday Morning ~~

Ren's POV:

Ah, Sundays. My one sacred day to indulge in my laziness. No commitments, no expectations, just endless sleep. I lived for these moments. Era was much the same way, but today, something was off. She seemed different—bustling around, packing her things like she had a mission. Before I could even ask, she waltzed into my room, fully dressed and already applying some light makeup.

I groaned in irritation. “What’s wrong with you?” I muttered, my eyes still heavy with sleep.

“Wake up, sleepyhead. We need to get some fresh air today. Break out of our boring routine for once,” Era said cheerfully.

“Pass. You can go. I’m staying right here,” I grumbled, rolling over and pulling my blanket tighter.

Era wasn’t having any of it. Before I knew it, she was dragging me out of bed, determined to get me moving. I resisted, but Era’s persistence was unmatched. She hauled me into the bathroom, all while I grumbled under my breath. There was no escaping her today, clearly.

“Why am I friends with someone so annoyingly persistent?” I thought to myself. But, in truth, I knew the answer. She always had my back, even when I didn’t want it. Still, today? I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for myself.

The tale whispers on~~!