The Revel Heart || Ni-ki

21

It had been a few days since their emotional exchange in the council room. Ni-ki and Celine, despite the heavy tension between them, were starting to find their way back to each other. There was a subtle shift in how they interacted an unspoken understanding that things had changed. There was more to what they had than just the tension and the friction; it was as if the air between them had grown thicker, charged with unacknowledged feelings, yet still fraught with hesitation.

The cracks in their walls were slowly growing, but neither of them had the courage to break through fully. There were moments quick, fleeting ones when they would glance at each other and linger for just a second longer than necessary, or when their fingers brushed briefly. But every time one of them caught the other’s eye, the weight of their positions, of their roles of the expectations crept back in.

Ni-ki had begun to avoid being alone with Celine during student council duties, not because he didn’t want to be near her, but because he was terrified of where things were headed. He had so many responsibilities, so much pressure to uphold the image of the perfect student president. A part of him still couldn’t believe that he had allowed himself to slip into the mess they’d made.

Celine on the other hand, was caught in her own turmoil. She’d always been the rule-breaker, the one who didn’t care about fitting in, the one who never played by the rules. But Ni-ki made her feel something she hadn’t felt before vulnerable. And she didn’t know how to handle it. She wasn’t used to being vulnerable, and that scared her more than anything.

They were both stuck. Two people who had something between them, but neither of them had the strength to acknowledge it.

It was during a student council meeting that the tension finally broke, a moment of no return, where their lines blurred completely.

The meeting room was filled with the usual hum of chatter and the shuffle of papers. Ni-ki stood at the front of the room, scanning the room of his fellow council members. The weight of responsibility sat heavy on his shoulders, and his eyes found Celine, who was sitting on the far side of the room, half-heartedly flipping through a binder of notes. She looked disinterested, tapping a pen against the table.

The agenda for the meeting was simple: planning for the upcoming cultural festival. Ni-ki had been trying to get everything organized, trying to juggle the mounting pressure from his parents, his responsibilities, and his relationship with Celine. The festival was the biggest event of the year, and everything had to be perfect.

But Celine seemed to be paying little attention.

“Celine,” Ni-ki called, his voice sharp, cutting through the murmur in the room.

She looked up, her expression casual. “What?”

“We need to finalize the committee members for the festival,” Ni-ki said, trying to maintain his composure. “You’re in charge of organizing the volunteers. Just kike what all the professor are saying since that is ypur punishment for skipping class.”

Celine frowned, tapping her pen once against the table. “Yeah, yeah. I know.”

“Good,” Ni-ki said, his patience thinning. “Then let’s move forward. We need those lists finalized by the end of the week. No more delays.”

Celine sat back in her chair, her fingers drumming lightly on the table. “Or what?” she asked, her voice low but challenging.