Unseen Echoes

Chapter11 : A Soft Moment

Rose stood there, feeling completely frozen. Her hand was still touching the spot on her neck where Jack had kissed her. Her mind was blank. She could only think about one thing: "Why did he do that? And why in front of everyone?" It felt like a bad dream, but it was real.

Every student there was staring at her. Some looked shocked, and others were whispering and smiling.

Lily and Will, who were also in shock, quickly ran to Rose. Lily grabbed her shoulder and asked with worry, "Rose! Are you okay? Please say something, what was that?"

Rose looked at Lily and Will with trembling eyes. She felt so ashamed and confused that she couldn't say a single word. When she looked around and saw the whole campus watching her, she couldn't stay there for another second.

Without saying anything, she started to run. She didn't care about the rain or the mud; she just wanted to get away from the crowd and from that moment. Her tears mixed with the rain as they ran down her face.

Lily and Will looked at each other and ran after her. "Rose! Stop! Please listen to us!" Lily shouted, but Rose was running too fast and did not look back. She just wanted to be alone and far away from everything.

As Rose ran away, Lily turned to Will and said, "Will, please bring our bags. I am going after Rose."

Rose ran all the way back to her room. She was very confused and didn't know how to feel. She started walking back and forth in her room, thinking deeply. "What was that? There was no game, and I wasn't trying to impress him or make any effort. Why did he kiss me in front of everyone? I had finally moved on, and now he has brought all those feelings back."

She kept thinking about Jack standing in the rain and that sudden kiss. She wondered, "How will I face everyone now? Does Jack really like me, or is this another one of his games?"

Just then, Lily walked into the room. "Thank God you are here," Lily said. "Rose, are you okay?"

Rose nodded slowly and said, "Yes."

Lily asked, "What happened to Jack? Why did he do that?"

Rose looked at her and said, "You saw it yourself. He kissed me in front of everyone. I wasn't doing anything to attract him, and I wasn't making any effort. Why did he react like that?"

Lily replied, "I know, we all saw it. I don't understand why he is acting like this when you have already changed and moved on."

"I don't know," Rose said sadly.

Lily thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think he really likes you? Maybe you two should talk about it."

Rose looked away and said, "If he really likes me, he should be the one to come and talk. I am not going to make any more effort.

The next day, Rose and Lily arrived at the university. As they walked in, Rose felt that everyone was staring at her. Some people were whispering, and others were just looking at her with wide eyes. Rose ignored them and walked straight to her classroom. She went to the new seat she had chosen and sat down.

Class had not started yet when Jack walked into the room. For a second, his eyes met Rose’s. Rose quickly looked away to the other side, acting as if she didn't see him.

Jack didn't care about anyone else; he walked straight to where Rose was sitting. The whole class went quiet. Rose was sitting in her chair when she felt someone standing right in front of her. She slowly looked up and saw Jack. He was staring deeply into her eyes.

Jack said in a low voice, "Rose, meet me at the coffee shop near the university after class. I will be waiting there."

Rose was surprised and said, "O-okay, sure." Her cheeks turned bright red from embarrassment.

Jack didn't say anything else. He just looked at her one more time and went to sit in his own seat. The whole class started cheering and shouting, "Woooooo!" Some students were laughing, but Thomas, who was sitting far away, got very angry and walked out of the classroom. The cheering was still going on when the teacher entered the room, and the lecture started. However, Rose couldn't focus on anything; she kept thinking about what Jack had said.

After university, Lily and Rose went home. Lily was very excited. She picked out a beautiful dress and said to Rose, "He invited you, so he is definitely going to propose! You must wear something nice. Look, this dress will look so pretty on you."

Rose was a bit nervous and said, "That is fine, but what if he doesn't propose? What if he just wants to talk?"

Lily smiled and replied, "If he just wanted to talk, he could have done that at the university. This is your first date, Rose!"

Rose blushed and said, "Oh, I am feeling so shy!"

Rose got ready, and she looked lovely. When she reached the coffee shop, she took out a small mirror from her purse to check her face before going inside. She told herself, "Stay normal, Rose. Don't get overexcited. Just be yourself."

When she walked inside, she was very surprised. The scene was a bit strange. Jack was wearing a waiter's uniform! The shop was busy, and people were sitting at their tables. Jack was busy taking orders from other customers. When he saw Rose, he walked over to her and said, "You are a bit early. Please, sit here. I will be free in a moment, and then we can talk."

Rose felt a little nervous, but she nodded and said, "Okay." She sat down at a table, wondering what was going on.

Rose sat at the table and kept thinking, "Is he really a waiter? He doesn't look like a waiter at all." She was very confused about why he had called her if he was going to be so busy.

She watched Jack for a long time. He was working just like all the other waiters—taking orders, serving coffee, and giving bills to the customers. She didn't understand what was happening.

Slowly, the shop started to get empty, and most people left. In the end, only an old man and an old woman were left at a table. It was their wedding anniversary. Rose smiled when she saw them cutting a cake. All the waiters, including Jack, went to their table and started clapping. When the old couple fed each other the cake, Jack gave a very soft and sweet smile.

At that moment, Jack looked across the room and his eyes met Rose’s. Rose was still sitting there, watching him. Everything was quiet, and there was a special feeling in the air as they looked at each other.