The Depth of Love

Chapter 8: The Waiting Game

The following day, everything seemed normal. Kai sat through his online classes, half-listening, his mind elsewhere.

As usual, Rina kept her camera off, a ghostly presence among the grid of student faces. No matter how much he tried to focus on the lesson, Kai found his thoughts drifting back to the feeling that had bloomed in his chest over the past few days. He couldn’t stop thinking about Rina. The more he thought about it, the clearer it became: he liked her.

The realization was both thrilling and terrifying. Why Rina? Maybe it was because she was quiet, like him, an introvert who blended into the background. Maybe it was the way she seemed completely comfortable in her silence, never demanding attention but somehow always having it.

That evening, just as Kai was lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone, Haruto’s message popped up:

Haruto: “Hey, what do you think if I create a group chat for our class? Just the classmates, so we can get to know each other better.”

Kai’s eyes widened, thinking of the possibilities. A group chat meant more casual interaction. It meant more chances to interact with Rina.

Kai: “That sounds awesome! Let’s do it!”

Haruto wasted no time. In just a few minutes, Kai found himself added to the group chat along with their classmates.

One by one, people responded to Haruto’s invite, including—much to Kai’s quiet excitement—Rina. She didn’t say anything, just saw the message. But that was enough for him.

His heart raced a little as he watched the group chat spring to life, students sending casual greetings and making jokes.

Then, Haruto sent another message that made Kai pause.

Haruto: “Alright, since we’re all here, I thought it’d be fun to do a little icebreaker activity. I made a Google form with a few questions, just for fun. It’ll help us get to know each other better. I’ll share the results afterward, don’t worry!”

Kai raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He clicked on the link to the form and was met with a series of seemingly harmless questions: What’s your favorite music? Favorite color? Do you like anyone in class?

But then came the question that made him freeze: Who do you want to get closer to in the class?

Kai’s hands hovered over his keyboard. His mind was racing.

Should he be honest? Should he write down Rina’s name? What if she found out? But then again, wasn’t this the chance he was waiting for? Maybe it could be the first step toward something more.

His fingers trembled as he typed “Rina,” feeling like he had just confessed his deepest secret, even though it was still anonymous. His heart raced faster when he got to the next question: Do you like anyone in the class? Without overthinking it, he selected “Yes.”

After he submitted the form, Kai sat back in his chair, feeling a swirl of emotions—part relief, part anxiety. What if someone guessed it was him? What if Rina did?

Meanwhile, Haruto was busy collecting the responses, excited to share the results with everyone. He sent a message to the group:

Haruto: “Okay! Thanks to everyone who filled out the form. I’ve got the results now. Let’s see who wants to get closer to who! I’ll announce the names, but don’t worry, it’s all anonymous.”

Kai's heart leapt into his throat. He was about to hear it—the moment he feared and anticipated all at once.

Haruto began reading off the names one by one.

Haruto: “Alright, here we go. For the question, ‘Who do you want to get closer to?’ a lot of people put...Kai.”

Kai blinked in surprise. Him? A couple of names followed, but he was the one that was mentioned the most. His classmates wanted to get closer to him? The idea was foreign but comforting. Maybe he wasn’t as invisible as he thought.

Then, Haruto paused for a moment and looked at the next name on the list.

Haruto: “Only one person wrote Rina.”

Kai's breath hitched. One person. One anonymous person had written her name, and he knew exactly who it was. His pulse quickened as his mind spun. What if Rina noticed? Would she start to wonder who it was? Would she suspect it was him?

The group chat was buzzing with reactions to the results, and Kai was trying to calm himself when he saw Haruto send a private message to him.

Haruto: “Dude, Rina just messaged me. She wants to know who put her name down. Should I tell her?”

Kai’s stomach dropped. His heart pounded in his chest. Rina was asking about him. She was curious. And now, Haruto was offering him the chance to reveal the truth.

Kai stared at the message for a long moment, his hands shaking as they hovered over the screen. He was torn between fear and excitement. This was his chance—his chance to come clean, to let Rina know that he wanted to get closer to her. But what if it made things awkward? What if she didn’t feel the same way? The fear of rejection loomed over him like a dark cloud.

He took a deep breath and typed out a reply.

Kai: “Yeah... tell her it’s me.”

His heart felt like it would explode from his chest as he waited for Haruto to reply. Minutes felt like hours.

Finally, Haruto sent another message:

Haruto: “Okay, told her.”

Kai’s palms were sweating. He couldn’t even think straight. What would Rina think? Would she be weirded out? Would she avoid him now?

But the minutes passed without any further messages from Haruto or Rina, and Kai was left in a whirl of emotions—anxious, excited, and everything in between.

That night, as Kai lay in bed, his mind was racing. His heart hadn’t stopped pounding since Haruto revealed the names in the group chat, and now, the thought of Rina knowing it was him who wanted to get closer to her made his chest tighten with a mix of excitement and anxiety.

What was she thinking? Did she feel weird about it? Or maybe… curious? He wondered if she had been surprised, if she’d even considered him as someone she might want to get closer to. But the more he thought about it, the more uncertain he became.

He glanced at his phone, lying silent on the bedside table. Every few minutes, he’d catch himself checking it, hoping—waiting—for some sign, some message from her. But each time, there was nothing.

His mind began spiraling through possibilities. What if she thought it was strange? What if she didn’t want to talk to him at all? Or… what if she was just taking her time, thinking about how to respond? The thought made him sit up in bed, his heart racing all over again.

No matter how hard he tried, sleep wouldn’t come. His thoughts kept drifting back to her, to her name showing up in that list, to the fact that he had finally taken the first step. But now, all he could do was wait—and hope.

Kai lay back down, staring at the ceiling, his phone still by his side, his mind still full of Rina. Would she message him tonight? Did she even care enough to respond? Was he just another face in the crowd, or was there a chance that tomorrow might change everything?