Liam impatiently waited for the evening, eager to meet Ayaan again. His stomach twisted with that mix of hope and nerves as he walked up to the orphanage, quietly begging for good news inside his head.
To his surprise, Ayaan was already outside, as if he had been waiting for him.
The moment he saw Liam, Ayaan walked toward him first. Seeing the bright smile on his face, Liam felt certain that the director had agreed.
"Did the director agree?" Liam asked, just to be sure.
"She did." Ayaan smiled widely. "But there's one condition—I have to return before 6:30 p.m."
"That's fine…" Liam said, overjoyed. That meant they had three whole hours to spend together.
Ayaan guided Liam through the streets. Liam was surprised by Ayaan's social skills—almost everyone there seemed to know him, and they were all friendly.
"You seem to be quite popular with the older people," Liam commented.
"I often come here with Aunt," Ayaan replied.
"Aunt?" Liam asked, confused.
"The orphanage director…"
"Oh, Ms. Fiora," Liam said, understanding.
"Liam, how old are you?" Ayaan asked curiously.
"Seventeen this year."
"So, two years older than me," Ayaan figured quick. "Which school did you transfer to?"
"St. George…"
"No way! You must have been a topper at your previous school, right?" Ayaan said in surprise.
"Why do you ask?"
"Our school prioritizes grades more than donations. If you're not a topper, getting admission is almost impossible," Ayaan explained.
"Our school… You study there too?" Liam asked, realizing.
"Yeah," Ayaan replied proudly.
'But the fees there are quite high… then how does he…?' The thought made Liam pause.
"What happened? Why did you stop?" Ayaan asked, noticing.
Liam swallowed, not wanting to pry and sound like a jerk. He shook it off with a grin and hurried to catch up.
As the days passed, Liam grew closer to Ayaan.
Looking though there was nothing particularly extraordinary about him—yet somehow, even Ayaan's smallest actions drew Liam closer to him.
One day, as they were returning, dark clouds suddenly covered the clear sky, and rain began to pour.
Liam quickly ran to nearby building, but Ayaan just stood there in the downpour, face tilted up, grinning like it was the best thing ever.
Liam stared, frozen. Something twisted deep in his chest—new, electric, almost too much. Like magic, yeah, but the kind that scares you a little.
Rain hammered harder. Liam snapped out of it, splashed over, grabbed Ayaan's wrist and pulled him toward the shelter.
"It was fun…" Ayaan said, a little disappointed.
"You'll get sick. Who's going to take care of you if that happens?" Liam said, his voice filled with concern, though it came out a bit rough.
Ayaan went quiet. Then—achoo.
"Wait here."
Liam ran to a nearby shop and came back with a towel and an umbrella.
"Dry yourself," he said, tossing the towel to Ayaan.
"You got yourself wet for this?" Ayaan asked.
Liam didn't answer. "Shouldn't we get going? It's already 6:15 p.m."
"Okay…"
Sharing one umbrella, they walked toward the orphanage. Liam tilted umbrella more toward Ayaan, letting his own shoulder get soaked.
The next day, the one who fell sick was none other than Liam.
"It must be the sudden change in weather," Mr. Lore said, checking his temperature. "Take this medicine first. If it doesn't go down, we'll go to the hospital."
After giving him a paracetamol, Mr. Lore went to the kitchen to prepare some rice porridge.
Once everything was ready, he returned to Liam's room.
"If you need anything, call me. I'll try to come back early," he said before leaving for the office.
Hours later, when Liam didn't appear at his usual time, Ayaan decided to visit him.
He rang the doorbell and waited.
No one answered.
Just as he was about to leave, thinking no one was home, he heard something fall inside.
"Liam…?" he called out.
Sensing something was wrong, he looked through the window—and saw Liam lying on the floor near the stairs.
"Liam!"
Panicked, he tried the door—it was locked.
He rushed around the house and spotted an open window on the second floor. Finding a ladder nearby, Ayaan climbed up, entered through the window, and hurried inside.
"Liam! Are you okay?"
He helped him up gently.
"I'm fine… just felt a bit dizzy," Liam said weakly.
Ayaan helped him sit on the sofa and quickly checked for injuries. Thankfully, there were none.
"You're burning up," Ayaan said, placing his hand on Liam's forehead.
Just then, Liam's stomach growled.
"You didn't eat anything?"
Liam shook his head.
"No wonder you felt dizzy…"
Ayaan went to the kitchen and found porridge in the cooker. He filled a bowl and brought it back.
Sitting beside Liam, he scooped a spoonful and held it up.
"Ahh…"
"You're feeding me like a kid," Liam said, half-joking.
"Oh? So you don't want to be treated like one?" Ayaan asked, pulling the spoon back slightly.
Before he could withdraw it, Liam leaned forward and ate it. "I don't mind…"
After feeding him, Ayaan brought a bowl of cold water and a cloth. He carefully wiped Liam's forehead, taking care of him with gentle attention.
"If someone takes care of you like this… being sick isn't that bad," Liam murmured.
"But it's painful to see someone you like suffering," Ayaan replied softly.
"Someone you like…?" Liam asked.
"…Yeah. You're my friend, aren't you?" Ayaan said after a brief pause.
"Oh…" Liam smiled, but it felt off.
"Why is no one else here?" Ayaan asked, looking around.
"My dad had an important meeting. He went to the office," Liam replied.
Ayaan's gaze fell on a family photo on the wall. "Is that your mother and sister?"
"Yeah. My sister is studying abroad, and my mom is with her parents. They had an accident and are in the hospital, so she stayed to take care of them."
"I see…"
"Wait… how did you even get in?" Liam wondered.
"The second-floor window was open. I climbed in," Ayaan said casually.
Seeing Liam's shocked expression as how he climbed in, Ayaan simply smiled, leaving him to wonder.
"You should get some sleep. Getting plenty of rest will help you recover faster," Ayaan said, gently placing his cool hand over Liam's eyes.
The soothing touch made Liam relax, and he slowly drifted to sleep.
When he woke up, he heard the sound of a car outside.
He looked around. Ayaan was nowhere to be seen. For a moment, it all felt like a dream.
Then Liam noticed a sticky note placed on a glass nearby.
"It's getting late, so I'm leaving first."
Liam glanced at the clock—it was already past 7 p.m. A soft smile appeared on his face.
After returning to his room, Liam picked up his diary.
He had never kept one before, but after meeting Ayaan, he began writing down every moment they spent together. Even the sticky note Ayaan had left was carefully tucked inside, kept as a small treasure.
A few days later, school began.
On the first day, Mr. Lore dropped him off. The new atmosphere wasn't bad at all—within a single day, Liam had already gained friends… and admirers.
During the break, Liam walked through the corridors, secretly hoping he might run into Ayaan.
As if luck was on his side, he spotted him ahead.
Ayaan was walking toward him—but his attention was completely absorbed in a book.
"Hey, watch out!"
Hearing the shout from a nearby classroom, Liam turned—and saw a basketball flying straight toward Ayaan.
"Ayaan!"
Liam rushed forward, calling out to him.
Hearing his name, Ayaan looked up. For a second, Ayaan couldn't understand what happening, or why Liam is rushing towards him.
Feeling something coming closer from side, Ayaan covers his eyes as a reflex.
The ball was just about to hit him—but suddenly, someone stepped in from behind and blocked it, shielding Ayaan.
"Aiden…"
Recognizing the person beside him, Ayaan called out.