Our Forbidden Love

XX : Unexpected Connection

Fallon's POV

The day had started like any other, chaotic and out of my control. A knot in my stomach settled in deeper with each passing second, as the clock on my phone confirmed what I already knew—my tardiness had reached a new level. Fifteen minutes late to Biology class, and still no sign of my assigned partner. I had a feeling I wouldn't be hearing from them anytime soon, and that unease curled inside me, mingling with hunger. I had skipped breakfast, an all-too-common choice when Elizen from class offered me a pack of soda crackers. It was the kind of comfort that came from someone else's routine, not my own, and yet I took it.

As I stepped into the classroom, the familiar cold door handle under my palm, I tried to shake off the nervous energy. I had never been late to Professor Smith's class before, and she was a kind soul—surely, she would understand. But when the eyes of every student in the room turned to me, it felt like the moment stretched forever. A frozen second of judgment and expectation, much like the mannequin trend that had once captured the internet's attention. My body stood in place, but my mind raced, wondering what they thought of me. And then, the voice. The voice of a tall, striking woman interrupted everything.

The tension shifted to her, a soft silence falling like snow as she adjusted her glasses and fixed her gaze on me. There was something about the way she looked at me, both intimidating and mysterious, that made my heart pound faster. I wanted to speak, but the words caught in my throat. I never liked being the center of attention.

And just when I thought things couldn't get worse, Elizen—ever the charismatic troublemaker—walked in. His excuse for being late wasn't as important as his presence, a familiar face that brought relief, though I still couldn't shake the unease. His casual banter about a "conflict" with his girlfriend was enough to break the tension, and soon, laughter bubbled from the class. But despite the crowd, I still felt like an outsider, disconnected.

Elizen noticed my discomfort and offered me food, as he always did. I had no appetite, but I took the sandwich anyway. I needed something to occupy my hands, my mind, which wandered back to the project I had missed, to the looming presence of that woman, who, for reasons unknown, seemed to know me. Parker, she had called me—my last name. It was the name I had never thought would follow me into this moment.

I spent the entire class in a daze, trying to focus while Elizen crocheted a cat beanie, lost in his own world. I admired him for it; he always knew how to lose himself in a craft, an art form I never quite had the patience for. But then again, I was always in a hurry to finish things, even the things I wasn't sure I understood yet.

Three hours later, after what felt like an eternity of nothingness, I was done. My mind was already wandering toward the next class, the one I knew would be just as draining. But as I prepared to leave, I couldn't shake the thought of that woman—the instructor, or not-an-instructor, Jilliane—who seemed to know things I hadn't told her. She knew my name, and that was enough to make me uneasy.

Then, the rain came. The one thing that always seemed to ruin my carefully laid plans. I had hoped for an escape, a small sanctuary in the form of a new coffee shop, only to find myself standing in a long line at Lavender Street, soaking wet, the rain mixing with my own growing frustration. And yet, in the midst of it all, I saw her again.

Jilliane stood beside me, equally drenched, her apple-cheeks flushed with cold and embarrassment. We exchanged a brief, awkward conversation. She was, in fact, the same person from class, and the revelation hit me like a ton of bricks. She wasn't just some stranger; she was the one who had been looking for me, for our project, for the partnership I had unknowingly dodged all day.

The tension didn't dissipate immediately. If anything, it thickened. But something else stirred beneath it—a spark of connection, perhaps, a thread between us in a sea of strangers. She had been the one who noticed my absence and called me out for it. And then, to my surprise, she agreed to come with me. In the rain, she was willing to trust me, even if just for the moment.

And then, in the serendipitous turn of fate, Elizen appeared, his car a refuge from the storm. We piled in, and for the first time in a while, I didn't feel alone. Not because of Elizen or Jilliane—though they played their part—but because in that moment, I realized that even in the most chaotic, unpredictable times, there are people who show up when you least expect them.

As I sat there in the car, watching the rain streak past the window, I couldn't help but smile. There was something strangely beautiful in the way the world had conspired to bring these people into my life. I had arrived late, stumbled through awkward conversations, and been caught in the rain, but somehow, it felt like it was all leading to something. What, exactly? I wasn't sure. But maybe that was the point.

Some days, you don't need all the answers. 

You just need to let the connections happen, no matter how unexpected they may be.