FATED SEATS

CHAPTER 2

ARA'S POV

One week. Seven days of awkward introductions, boring lectures, and the constant struggle to appear like I belonged. Senior High was proving to be even more daunting than I’d imagined.

Then came the announcement I dreaded: seating arrangements.

Bb.love, our homeroom teacher, beamed at us. "Alright, class, for the sake of better classroom management, I'll be assigning seats. Boys and girls alternating."

A collective groan swept through the room.

My heart sank. So much for hiding in the back. Bb.love started reading names, and with each pairing, I felt a knot tightening in my stomach. Finally, my name was called.

"Ara Dela Cruz," Bb.love announced, glancing over at me. "You'll be sitting next to Alan Divino ."

Alan Divino ? I scanned the room and saw a boy with dark hair and kind eyes give a small wave from his seat. He was... attractive, in a quiet sort of way. Great, I thought. Now I'll have someone to avoid making eye contact with for the rest of the year.

I reluctantly gathered my things and made my way to the assigned seat, trying to keep my gaze fixed on anything but the boy sitting next to me.

ALAN'S POV

Ara Dela Cruz. I noticed her on the first day. Quiet, kept to herself, a world of her own. I was intrigued.

When Bb.love announced the seating arrangement and paired us up, a small smile crept onto my face. I saw her expression sour as she walked over to me, she isn't interested I thought.

She sat down beside me, carefully avoiding eye contact.

"Hey," I said, trying to break the ice.

She mumbled a barely audible "Hi."

I chuckled, "You know, it's considered polite to look at someone when you're talking to them."

She finally glanced up, her eyes dark and guarded. "I don't like your eyes," she said bluntly. "They're… distracting."

I was taken aback. "Distracting? What's wrong with my eyes?"

She averted her gaze again, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Nothing's wrong with them. I just… I

ALAN'S POV

I was taken aback. "Distracting? What's wrong with my eyes?"

She averted her gaze again, her cheeks flushing slightly. "Nothing's wrong with them. I just… I can't concentrate when you look at me."

I raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her reaction. "Is that a compliment, Ara Dela Cruz?" I teased.

She glared at me. "Don't push it, Divino."

I chuckled, deciding to back off for now. "Alright, alright. Peace. But just so you know, I find your… intensity… equally distracting."

She scoffed and turned her attention to the front of the class, effectively ending our conversation.

'Well, that was awkward,' I thought, suppressing a grin. This girl was definitely different. Beneath the guarded exterior, I sensed a vulnerability, a hidden sadness that piqued my curiosity even more. I wanted to know what she was hiding, what had made her so closed off.

ARA'S POV

'Distracting?' Seriously? Why did I say that? Now he's going to think I'm some kind of weirdo. But it was true. There was something about his eyes, a kindness, a warmth that made me uneasy. It was like he could see right through me, into the depths of my soul, and I didn't want anyone to see that.

I tried to focus on the lecture, but Alan's presence beside me was a constant distraction. I could feel his gaze on me, even when I wasn't looking at him. It was unnerving.

'Just ignore him,' I told myself. 'He's just another classmate. Nothing more.'

But deep down, I knew that wasn't true. There was something about Alan Divino that made him different. Something that made me want to push him away, even as a part of me longed to let him in.

As the days turned into weeks, our forced proximity became a strange dance of something…..