My Dear Annabelle

Chapter - 13 A Heart In Darkness

In Lian's room, he sat at his study table, books spread open in front of him. But his focus was far from the pages of his textbooks.

Instead, his gaze lingered on the photo of Kuea he had taken during their movie time. It was a rare moment, one that Lian couldn't help but treasure.

A small smile tugged at Lian's lips as he picked up his phone and sent the photo to Kuea with the caption: Rare moment captured.

A minute later, his phone buzzed with a reply:

Kuea: "Hia..."

Lian grinned and quickly typed a response.

Lian: "What? I thought you'd appreciate me immortalizing your cuteness."

Kuea: "Don't call me cute..."

Lian: "Why? It's true!"

Kuea didn't reply for a few moments, and Lian wondered if he'd said something wrong. Then another message popped up.

Kuea: "Fine, but don't show that to anyone!"

Lian: "It's safe with me. It's my secret treasure now."

Lian could almost hear Kuea's exasperated sigh in his head, and the thought made him laugh.

But their lighthearted conversation was interrupted by a sudden influx of messages in his group chat with Mai, Jade, and Yi.

Mai: "Hey Lian! Where were you today?! You didn't come to class!"

Jade: "Yeah, seriously, because of you, we all suffered!"

Lian raised an eyebrow at their dramatic texts and replied casually.

Lian: "What did I miss?"

Mai: "The professor decided to do a surprise oral test, and no one knew the answers!"

Jade: "The whole class got scolded, and our internal marks were reduced because we couldn't answer anything!"

Lian chuckled, imagining the chaos in the classroom without him there to save the day.

Lian: "Oops. Well, blame Kuea. It was a sudden plan."

Mai: "Kuea? Oh, I see how it is. You skipped for a date, huh?"

Lian could almost hear Mai's teasing tone.

Jade: "Still, you owe us, Lian. The professor wasn't joking about those marks."

Lian shook his head, amused by their over-the-top reactions. But something Mai said caught his attention.

Lian: "Wait, what about Yi? He didn't come either?"

Jade: "Nope. He was MIA too. The professor didn't even notice until halfway through the class."

Lian's eyes narrowed in suspicion. If Yi wasn't in class either... then there was only one explanation.

So, Yi went to the movies with Diao, Lian thought to himself, a knowing smile tugging at his lips.

Mai: "Yi's been offline the whole day too. Let's grill him tomorrow."

Lian: "I knew it. Let's not let him off the hook that easily."

As their chat continued with light banter, Lian's mind wandered back to Kuea. The day had been peaceful, and Kuea seemed happier, or at least more at ease, and that was all that mattered to him.

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Days passed, and everything settled into a routine. Everyone was preparing for their upcoming exams.