of her room, her legs folded tightly to her chest, arms wrapped around them, chin resting on her knees. Her eyes stared blankly at the wall, but her mind wasn't in the room—it was in the car, with Ben.
Why does this keep happening? she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
Why do I always run into him? I try so hard to stay away, and somehow he still finds a way to show up. What am I supposed to do?
She let out a frustrated groan and covered her face with both hands.
"And now I have to thank him... again," she muttered. "Why is it so difficult just to say thank you? Why does my voice disappear whenever he's around?"
She lay back slowly, staring at the ceiling. The rain outside grew even heavier, like the sky was crying for her. She turned off the lamp and closed her eyes, trying to sleep.
But the second she closed them, she saw Ben's face again—his hand on the steering wheel, silent, jaw clenched, raindrops sliding down the car windows like tears.
The moment hit her like a cold wave.
Her eyes shot open.
"Aghh! I can't sleep," she said, tossing her pillow to the side. "I have to sleep. I have university tomorrow. I can't look like a zombie again."
She turned on her side, closed her eyes tightly, forcing sleep to come. Eventually, exhaustion dragged her under, while the rain outside poured like a storm that refused to end.
Morning
The alarm blasted through the silence.
Luisa jumped up, eyes wide.
"Oh no—8 AM?! I'm late!"
Everything became chaos—rushing to brush teeth, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, grabbing her bag, and almost tripping while putting on her shoes.
She ran down the street, rainwater splashing under her shoes, reaching the bus stop just in time to jump inside.
The bus was suffocatingly crowded. The air smelled like rain and damp jackets. Luisa grabbed the rail and tried to steady her breath.
Without warning, the bus slammed the brakes. People lurched forward—and Luisa lost her balance completely.
Before she could fall, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and steadied her.
Her eyes squeezed shut in panic.
Slowly, she opened them and looked up.
A tall guy with dark brown hair and warm brown eyes looked down at her, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
Guy: "Woah. I must be really handsome if you're choosing to stay in my arms for so long."
Luisa's face flushed instantly. She jumped back like the rail was fire.
Luisa: "I—I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—thank you—sorry—"
He chuckled gently, amused by her panic.
Guy: "Relax. It's fine."
Luisa stared at him, trying hard to remember where she knew him from.
His face looked familiar.
He noticed her confusion.
Guy: "We met yesterday. You were running in the corridor and slipped. I caught you, remember?"
A sudden flash hit her—her feet slipping, her books falling, and an arm grabbing her before she crashed into the floor.
Luisa: "Oh! Right. That was you. Thank you... for that too."
Guy: "David."
Luisa: "What?"
David: "My name. It's David."
Luisa: "Ah—yes, David. Sorry."
She gave a small awkward smile.
David: "We're at our stop."
They stepped off the bus with the flow of students. Luisa adjusted her bag on her shoulder and casually looked around.
Her eyes froze.
Parked near the university entrance was a sleek black car. Through the slightly tinted window, she saw him—Ben. His profile was clear for a moment: the sharp jawline, the tired eyes, the expression she could never read.
But this time... he looked different. He looked lost. And for a second, she thought he looked back—at her.
Her heart pounded painfully.
Her feet stopped moving, her breath caught in her throat, eyes glued to him.
Someone behind her spoke softly:
"Excuse me... could you move forward?"
Luisa blinked, realizing she was blocking the way.
"Oh—sorry!"
She hurried forward, cheeks burning with embarrassment.
She hadn't even noticed David watching her with curiosity.
David: "May I join you?"
Luisa turned, still trying to gather herself.
"Uh... yeah. Sure."
David: "Finally the rain stopped. It feels like this place is always drowning."
Luisa: "Yeah... it's always like this."
They walked into the building. Luisa noticed David walking behind her again and stopped abruptly.
"Wait—are you... following me?"
David grinned, shaking his head.
David: "No. I'm in the same class as you. This university started four months ago and you still don't know your classmates?"
Luisa looked down, embarrassed.
Luisa: "I'm not... good at talking to people."
David: "Yeah, I noticed."
He laughed softly and walked to his seat. Luisa sat down at hers, pretending to look through her notebook—but her eyes searched automatically.
And then she found him.
Ben sat two rows in front, phone in his hand, screen lighting up his face.
He was smiling—a soft, real smile. The kind she had never seen.
Her stomach twisted.
She stared, unable to look away, watching him type faster, smile deeper, like whoever he was texting filled his chest with light.
A crack formed inside her.
Luisa (thinking):
Why am I feeling like thi
s? He's just smiling. Just texting someone. Why does it hurt like I can't breathe?
She looked down quickly, fighting the sting behind her eyes.