Love Before Graduation

Subh didn't come back to class after Suhina's rejection. No one seemed to care—except for me and Nami. The rest of the students moved on, their attention already shifting to other gossip, but I couldn't shake off the image of him kneeling there, hope crumbling as Suhina walked away without a second glance.

The final bell rang, and students poured out of the classrooms. Nami and I walked toward the gate, but my feet slowed.

"He's still missing," I murmured.

Nami sighed. "Aira, he'll be fine. Let him deal with it."

But something in me said otherwise.

"Just a quick look," I insisted. "If he's gone, we'll leave."

With a reluctant groan, Nami followed as I turned toward the sports ground.

And there he was.

Subh sat alone behind the bleachers, knees drawn up, fingers pulling at the grass absently. He wasn't crying, but the weight of rejection hung over him.

Nami crossed her arms. "Told you she's not worth it. Move on."

Subh let out a hollow laugh. "That easy, huh?"

I sat down next to him, resting my elbows on my knees. "You okay?"

He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stared at the ground, as if searching for words.

"I knew she'd say no," he finally admitted. "But I had to try. Just once."

His voice was quieter than I'd ever heard it.

For a moment, none of us spoke. The afternoon air was heavy, filled only with the distant sounds of students leaving the school grounds.

Then he added something that made me pause.

"She wasn't always like this, you know."

I turned to him, frowning. "What do you mean?"

Subh opened his mouth to speak—but before he could, a voice cut through the silence.

"Crying over Suhina? Pathetic."

I looked up.

Arin stood there, arms crossed, his expression unreadable as always. His school bag hung lazily off one shoulder, and his sharp gaze flickered between us.

Subh's posture stiffened. "Mind your own business, Arin."

Arin raised an eyebrow. "Hard to, when you're sulking in the open."

The tension crackled between them. Subh clenched his fists, while Arin remained completely calm, like a storm that refused to be shaken.

I sighed. "Arin, not now."

He tilted his head slightly, his eyes shifting to me for a brief second before looking back at Subh. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"You thought confessing would change things? That she'd suddenly see you?" Arin's tone wasn't mocking—it was cold, factual. "She never saw you, Subh. And she never will."

Subh shot up to his feet. "Shut up."

Arin didn't move. Didn't flinch.

For the first time, I saw a different side of Subh—not the teasing guy who always showed up asking for favors, but someone who was actually hurt.

"You don't know anything," Subh muttered.

Arin exhaled, shaking his head. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.

I watched his back as he disappeared into the distance, his presence lingering even after he was gone.

Subh sat back down, rubbing his temples. "I hate that guy."

Nami huffed. "Join the club."

But I wasn't so sure. Because in Arin's voice—beneath that icy tone—I thought I heard something else.

A warning.

And for the first time, I wondered—what exactly did he see that we didn't?

A Heartbeat Too Loud

I tore my gaze away from Arin and turned back to Subh.

"Come on, don't you want to go home?" I asked, shaking off the strange weight that Arin's words had left behind.

Subh exhaled sharply. "Yeah, let's go." Without another word, he strode ahead, as if putting distance between us would somehow lessen the sting of rejection.

I glanced at Nami. "Fresh heartbreak."

She snorted. "Yeah, well, Arin didn't have to be that harsh. Who talks like that?"

I shrugged. "Sometimes, silence is the best option."

Nami smirked. "Should I put tape over your mouth then?" She mimicked pulling an invisible strip of tape and pressing it over my lips.

I laughed, shaking my head. "Let's just go."

Slipping my hand into hers, we walked out of the school gates, the air still carrying whispers of the afternoon's chaos.

—

The moment I reached home, I tossed my bag aside and rushed to my phone, unlocking it in one swift motion.

Instagram.

My fingers moved on their own, pulling up Arin's profile. The screen lit up with his posts, his face staring back at me—sharp features, that same unreadable expression, as if nothing in the world could faze him.

And yet... something about him did something to me.

A single glance was enough to send my heartbeat into chaos.

I slammed my phone face-down on the bed, as if I had just been caught red-handed.

Caught doing what?

I closed my eyes, exhaling slowly.

What was happening to me?