The days had grown quieter. Not silent, but calmer. The chaos had faded, leaving behind a feeling Ara couldn't quite describe.
She sat in the library with an open book in front of her, though she wasn't really reading. Across the table, Chenle was sketching in the corner of his notebook again. The soft scratch of his pencil had become something familiar to her, almost comforting. But today, it made her chest feel heavy.
She glanced at him.
The way his mouth curved slightly when he focused, the small furrow in his brow... when had she started noticing these things? And why couldn't she stop?
Suddenly, Chenle looked up. Their eyes met, and Ara quickly looked away.
"So," he said after a moment, "we should finalize the art design tomorrow. I can meet you after class?"
"Yeah," Ara said quickly, maybe too quickly. "Sure. That works."
But her voice cracked slightly, giving her away.
Chenle didn't push. He only gave her a soft look, something gentle, something unsure.
Later that afternoon, Chenle sat on the bleachers behind the gym. The sun was low, painting the sky with shades of orange and pink. Mark walked over and tossed him a bottle of water.
"You've been zoning out a lot lately," Mark said.
Chenle gave a small smile. "Just thinking."
"About Ara?"
Chenle almost choked. "What?"
Mark raised an eyebrow. "Dude, it's not that subtle."
Chenle sighed and leaned back against the cold metal. "I like her. I really like her. But I'm scared. If I say something, it might ruin everything... our friendship, the group, all of it."
Mark was quiet for a moment before shrugging. "Yeah, maybe. But ignoring it won't make it go away either."
Chenle looked up at the fading sky. His voice was low. "I don't want to lose her."
Meanwhile, Ningning and Giselle were on the rooftop after school, their legs swinging off the ledge. Ara had just left after a quick meeting. Ningning had noticed the way Ara froze whenever Chenle's name came up. The way she fidgeted more than usual.
"She's falling, isn't she?" Ningning asked.
Giselle smiled softly. "Yeah. And I think she's just as scared."
Ningning sighed. "This group's turning into a drama series."
Giselle laughed. "And we're just the side characters with popcorn."
That night, Ara sat at her desk, staring at her phone. Her fingers hovered over Chenle's name. She wanted to send something, anything. But what if he didn't feel the same? What if everything changed?
Her heart pounded as she set the phone down.
Then, a message popped up. But it wasn't from Chenle.
It was from Renjun.
Renjun:
Can we meet at SM's carnival at 2 p.m. tomorrow? I need to tell you something.
Ara stared at the screen, nerves buzzing.
Ara:
Yeah. Of course.
She leaned back, letting out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding.
Tomorrow. Things might change.
And maybe... that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
