Unseen Echoes

Chapter : 3 Echoes of Attention"

Rose had been staying over at Lily’s house for university, as her own home was quite far from campus. It was the middle of the night, and a deep silence hung over the room. While Lily was fast asleep, Rose found herself wide awake, unable to find peace.

Driven by an impulse she couldn't control, she pulled out her phone and searched for Jack’s profile. As always, she began scrolling through his pictures, mesmerized. In one particular photo, Jack looked so hot and dashing that Rose couldn’t take her eyes off him. She was completely lost in his gaze, staring at the screen, when she decided to zoom in on the image with her fingers to get a better look at his features.

Click.

Her thumb accidentally slipped and hit the heart icon. A 'Love' reaction appeared instantly on the screen.

Rose’s entire body froze. Her heart skipped a beat, and panic washed over her. "No, no, no! Oh s**t, what have I done?" she whispered to herself, her heart hammering against her ribs. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her hands began to tremble.

Just then, Lily stirred from her sleep. She stretched and asked in a groggy voice, "Rose? Still on your phone at this hour? What are you doing?"

Lily turned on the bedside lamp, and her eyes landed directly on Rose’s screen. "Ugh! Rose! At this time, too? You seriously won't ever change."

Rose panicked and quickly clutched the phone to her chest, as if she were hiding a secret crime. "No, Lily, I... I was just..." she stammered, unable to form a coherent sentence.

The next morning, the university campus was buzzing with energy, but for Rose, the air felt heavy. Every time she caught a glimpse of Jack from a distance, her heart would skip a beat, the memory of last night’s 'Love' reaction haunting her like a ghost. She kept wondering if he had seen the notification before she removed it.

As they entered the lecture hall, Rose’s eyes instinctively searched for him. Jack was already there, leaning back in his chair, talking to a few of his friends. He looked as effortlessly composed as ever.

When their eyes finally met, Rose’s breath hitched. She tensed up, waiting for a smirk, a knowing look, or even a hint of acknowledgment regarding the previous night.

But there was nothing.

Jack’s expression remained perfectly neutral—a calm, indifferent gaze that slid over her as if she were just another student in the room. He didn’t offer a smile, nor did he look confused. He simply gave a slight, casual nod, his eyes moving past her to continue his conversation with his friend. It was clear that he had either not seen the notification or, more likely, he didn't care enough to notice who had liked his photo.

Rose took her seat, feeling a strange mixture of relief and stinging disappointment. She realized that for Jack, she was just a face in the crowd. He had no idea about the storm of emotions she was feeling, nor did he have the slightest clue that she liked him. To him, the world was moving on as usual, completely unaffected by the 'mistake' that had kept her awake all night.

He didn't look at her again for the rest of the lecture. He was focused, detached, and utterly unbothered—exactly the kind of "strong, cool" personality that made Rose’s heart ache even more. She sat there, staring at the back of his head, realizing that while she was living in a state of chaos, Jack was completely unaware of her existence in his heart.

Jack’s cold and indifferent attitude had shaken Rose to her core. She simply couldn't accept that he was ignoring her existence so completely. Driven by a mix of frustration and longing, she decided to make it her mission to grab his attention. However, in her desperation, her attempts started becoming quite awkward and even a bit bizarre.

For the next few days, Rose tried everything she had ever seen in movies or web series. Sometimes, she would walk past Jack in the canteen, laughing loudly on purpose just to see if he would turn his head. Other times, she would sit at the very next table in the library, aggressively flipping through her books or sighing loudly to make her presence felt. Once, she even put so much effort into her outfit that she arrived at college looking like she was walking a fashion runway, but Jack didn’t even glance her way.

Every single effort Rose made was falling flat. She would try to chime into conversations when Jack was around his friends, hoping to spark some interest, but Jack would remain lost in his own thoughts or deeply engrossed in a serious discussion with his peers. He had absolutely no clue that the girl nearby was putting on a "show" specifically for him.

The most awkward moment happened after a lecture when Rose tried to "accidentally" bump into him, hoping he would stop to talk or at least acknowledge her. Instead, Jack just gave her a polite, fleeting look, muttered a brief, distant "sorry," and walked away, treating her like a complete stranger.

Jack’s total lack of awareness was deeply painful for Rose. She was starting to realize that no matter how many "crazy" things she did or how hard she tried to look perfect, she held no value in Jack’s world. He remained blissfully ignorant that all her strange behaviors were directed at him. Jack stayed his usual self—focused, calm, and detached—leaving Rose feeling like all her efforts were simply dissolving into thin air.