Crumble

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3 months ago,

8 August 2024.

3:00 PM

"Wyd?"

"You know I'm not good with short forms!"

"What are you doing?"

"Class." image of classroom

"You?"

"Going to my room."

"Done with classes?"

"Nope, just didn't feel like attending."

"Lucky you."

"Penelope, Sir is calling you!" Ava, my best friend, says with a smirk.

I immediately close my chat screen, my heart racing, and glance toward our professor. He's busy explaining a concept to one of my classmates on the opposite side of the room. Turning to Ava, I give her my best sarcastic smile.

"Not funny," I hiss, which only makes her burst into laughter.

"Oh, come on, Pen. You should've seen your face! Totally worth it," she teases, still giggling.

"I actually thought he called me! He could've taken my phone, Ava!" I shiver at the thought, clutching the device like it's my lifeline.

"And then how would you text your boyfriend?" she asks in that irritating tone she reserves for teasing me.

"He's not my boyfriend, Ava," I reply firmly, though my racing heartbeat betrays me.

"Sure, sure. I mean, future boyfriend, right?" she says with a wink.

Before I can retort, my phone buzzes against the table, saving me from further embarrassment.

"When does your class end?"

"5 *crying emoji"

"Lol, suffer."

"So heartless of you."

"Yup. Going for a nap now."

"Okay, sleep."

By the time 5:00 PM rolls around, Ava and I are walking back to our hostel rooms, chatting about everything and nothing.

"So, when are you meeting my brother?" I ask, referring to my cousin Sean. She and Sean have been dating for over four years now, and I'm their unofficial messenger for teasing remarks.

"This Friday," she says, blushing furiously.

"Tomorrow?" I exclaim, realizing the weekend is almost here. "When are you coming back?"

"Sunday," she replies nonchalantly, while I calculate the impending loneliness in my head. Three whole days without her.

"Enjoy," I say with mock cheer, already dreading her absence.

Ava notices me checking my phone for the umpteenth time. "What's going on? Why are you glued to your phone?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

"It's nothing. It's just... he went to sleep at 3, and it's 5 now. Shouldn't he be up by now?" I say, scrolling through my messages and noticing his last seen.

"Still sleeping, probably. Aw, missing him already?" she teases, nudging me.

"No! Of course not," I say, a little too quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever helps you sleep at night." She smirks as we reach the entrance to our hostel blocks.

"Bye, and don't do anything reckless tomorrow!" I call out, watching her walk away.

"Shut up, Penelope!" she yells back, laughing as she disappears into F Block.

I sigh, staring up at the stairs leading to my room on the fourth floor. The climb is brutal, and by the time I get there, I'm out of breath. So unfit, I think, dropping my bag on the chair near my desk. Grabbing a towel, I head for a shower, letting the hot water wash away the day's exhaustion. The warmth soothes my muscles, and for a brief moment, I feel at peace.

After my shower, I slip into an oversized shirt that falls to my mid-thigh, crawl under my blanket, and lose myself in a novel.

At 7:00 PM, my phone buzzes. Finally.

"Good morning."

"You mean evening."

"No, morning."

"Okay, morning. Just woke up?"

"Yup. Will Shower now, then off to play badminton."

"Yeah, I already know."

"Oh really?"

"Yup."

Incoming call from Ava.

"Hey, let's go for dinner."

"Now?"

"Yeah, I'm starving."

"Okay, give me five minutes."

"Done. Be downstairs by 7:20. Bye."

"Bye."

By 7:25, I'm ready and heading down. Ava arrives by 7:30, and we head to the mess, diving into our usual conversations about how much class sucks, the latest gossip, and our mutual desire to just stay in our rooms all day.

"You excited for tomorrow?" I ask as we walk around campus after dinner.

"Of course!" she says, her cheeks flushing.

I laugh, watching her blush like a lovesick teenager. By 9:00 PM, we're back in our rooms. After another shower and my nightly skincare routine, I'm in bed by 10:00 PM.

"What's up?"

"Nothing much. You? Done with Badminton?"

"Just finished playing. Heading back to my room now."

"You're not eating dinner?"

"Nah, I'll order something if I get hungry."

"That's so unhealthy, you know."

"I know. So, what else were you up to?"

"Just finished reading a book."

"Oh? What was it about?"

And just like that, I'm off, ranting about the werewolf fiction I just finished. Most people roll their eyes or ask me to stop when I talk about books, but not him. He listens intently, even scolding the main character with me when they make dumb decisions.

It reminds me of the summer break when we watched a Chinese drama together. No one else would ever agree to that, but he did—and he even seemed to enjoy it.

//Flashback//

It's summer break, and the day before my brother's birthday. Kai and I have started talking again after two long months of silence. We stopped talking at the beginning of the break, right after he broke up with his girlfriend of a year. I tried to cheer him up, but instead of being comforting, I somehow managed to annoy him. I'm terrible at these things, and honestly, I can't blame him for pulling away.

But two months later, out of nowhere, he texts me. That's how Kai is—unpredictable. And just like that, we fall back into our usual rhythm, as if nothing ever happened. Every night after 10 PM, we have these jam sessions where we send each other our favorite songs. It's our thing—sharing music, teasing each other about our tastes, and just vibing.

Tonight, though, is different. Instead of music, we decide to watch one of my favorite Chinese dramas, Love Like the Galaxy. I'm excited but also a little nervous. No one I know takes my love for C-dramas seriously. Most people roll their eyes, saying the guys look too feminine or that the plots are too cheesy. But Kai? He doesn't judge. He just says, "Let's do it," and I'm reminded again why I enjoy talking to him so much. He sets up a Google Meet, shares his screen, and everything's ready to go.

I grab my laptop and head to my room. The hall is too noisy with my family bustling around, and there's no way I'm letting them tease me about this. My younger brother is lounging on my bed when I get there, and I immediately kick him out. He protests, but I stand firm. "I need privacy," I say, shutting the door behind him.

Kai and I start watching the drama together. As the episode starts, I'm grinning like an i***t. Watching one of my favorite shows with someone who actually seems interested? It feels surreal. The way he genuinely pays attention warms my heart.

The first few minutes go smoothly. I'm explaining the characters and gushing about the leads. We don't get very far—the internet connection keeps acting up, and the video buffers every few minutes and we have to restart the episode more than once. I groan in frustration, while Kai laughs it off. "Looks like the universe doesn't want me watching this masterpiece," he teases, and I roll my eyes.

By 11:30, I have to end the call. "I need to get the cake ready for my brother," I tell him, already feeling a pang of disappointment.

"Alright. We'll pick this up another time," he says easily, and I know he means it. Kai never says things just to be nice.

As I close my laptop and head to the kitchen, I can't stop smiling. Most of my guy friends would've dismissed the idea of watching a C-drama outright, but not Kai. He listens, he tries, and he genuinely makes an effort.

//Flashback ends//

Thinking about it now, it's not just the dramas or the books. It's the way he genuinely cares about the things I love. Talking to him has become a habit, like breathing. A day without hearing from him feels suffocating, like something vital is missing.

It's in moments like these that I realize just how much he stands out.

And as I drift off to sleep, I realize something: he's different. And that scares me.