the story that never became a chapter

unknown guy

AVALYN

“Let’s meet later at the café near the campus gate after class,” Ian said coldly before walking inside the campus, not even waiting for my reply. I stayed where I was, watching him disappear from sight. I gave a weak smile when I realized how far away he already was—too far for me to reach.

As I walked along the hallway, Hana—my best friend and former teammate—blocked my way. She looked at me sharply, clearly unhappy to see me.

“Lyn, what are you doing here?!” she blurted out. I couldn’t help but smile. I was happy to see her. Aside from Ian, she was the reason I wanted to come to school today.

“Is it wrong? I want to study too,” I teased. She stared straight into my eyes. After a few seconds of our silent stare-down, she sighed in defeat.

“You’re really stubborn, as always,” she said. “You should be in the hospital right now.”

Hana was the team captain back then. When I tried to quit, she strongly opposed it. She didn’t want to let me go. If I hadn’t told her about my condition, she would never have agreed. She’s been my best friend since seventh grade—the person who gave me so many happy memories I will be thankful for until my last breath.

We fell silent for a few seconds. I noticed the sadness in her eyes.

“Hey, cheer up. You look like someone just died,” I joked. She pouted and shot me an irritated look.

“That’s not funny,” she snapped before turning away.

Laughing, I wrapped my arms around hers.

“You’re just going to miss me—”

“Lyn, stop it!” she scolded.

“Okay, okay,” I laughed before hugging her tightly. I heard her let out a soft laugh too.

Hana said goodbye as she headed to her first class. She wanted me to come with her, but I refused. I told her I wanted to walk around the campus. I knew I would miss this place once I was in the hospital.

In nine days, I would need to stay there. Some doctors suggested getting treatment abroad because their facilities were more advanced and might help prolong my life. There was no donor available in the country. Besides, I didn’t want to leave.

If I disappear, it’s okay with me. I’ve accepted it. Living in this world for twenty-three years is already enough.

As I walked along the corridor, I remembered the guy I met two weeks ago. Where could he be now? I’d been looking for him earlier, but he was nowhere around campus. I even asked others, but no one seemed to know him.

I stopped when my attention was caught by the very person I was thinking about. I blinked in surprise when I saw him on the rooftop of the building across from me. He had his back turned, so he couldn’t see me. He was sitting at the edge of the rooftop. I knew it was him because of the uniform he was wearing.

Before I knew it, my feet were already moving toward the rooftop. Thankfully, the building was only two stories high. I was catching my breath when I reached the top. I looked around, but the guy was gone.

Was I just imagining things?

“Miss, what are you doing here?”

I turned toward the woman who spoke from my side. I almost jumped in surprise.

“You startled me,” I said with a laugh, clutching my chest where my heart was now racing.

I looked at her outfit—she seemed like a student. What caught my attention was her necklace. It had a small bottle as a pendant, blue and glowing under the sunlight. There was a tiny piece of paper inside. It looked like the kind of bottle used long ago to hold treasure maps.

Noticing my stare, she walked closer and removed the necklace from her neck. She stopped near the edge of the rooftop and breathed in the cold air.

“When you want a place where you can breathe peacefully, you can come here. This is the best place for you,” she said casually.

“You like it?” she asked.

I nodded and looked at the view before us. She was right. My breathing felt normal here. Even my heartbeat felt calm.

“If you were given a chance to have one wish granted, what would you wish for?”

I was puzzled by her question. It felt strange. Out of all the random questions she could ask, why that?

When I didn’t answer right away, I noticed her eyes widen as she looked at me.

“I’m not weird, okay!” she said defensively. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I didn’t say anything,” I replied, still laughing.

She sighed in relief and turned back to the view.

“Do you want to be given a chance to have your wish granted?”

I thought she would give up on that question, but she asked again. She took my hand and placed the necklace on my palm.

“I’ll give you the chance to fulfill your one true wish—the one your heart is screaming for. Just throw this far away and say your wish.”

“W-Wait, I don’t have money to buy this,” I said, trying to pull my hand back, but she tightened her grip.

“Don’t worry. It’s free. I was supposed to sell it to you for 250, but since you look sad, I’ll give it to you for free.”

I didn’t know if she was joking or serious, but for some reason, I let myself take the necklace.

“Wait—what’s your name?” I asked before she left.

“Fatima.”

I looked at the necklace after she walked away. It was beautiful. It felt like a waste to throw it away. I didn’t really believe in things like this anyway.

After the long day, I texted Ian to meet at the café near the campus gate. I didn’t wait for his reply and went there myself. There was excitement on my face. It had been a long time since we last went out together.

I checked the clock and noticed he still hadn’t arrived. I had been waiting for almost two hours.

“Relax, Lyn. He’ll come.”

I looked at the door when I heard the bell ring. Someone had entered the café. My heart leaped when I saw Ian walking in. I immediately stood up to greet him.

“I thought you weren’t coming—”

“Sorry, Lyn. It’s an emergency. Can you wait for me a little longer? This won’t take long. I just need to take care of something,” he said breathlessly. He didn’t wait for my response and turned around to leave.

My shoulders slumped as I watched him go. I sat back down and bit my lip, resting my forehead on the table.

Hours passed, and he still didn’t come back. He said he wouldn’t be long, but it was already dark outside. I was waiting for nothing.

“Miss?”

I lifted my head when someone tapped my shoulder. It was one of the waiters, hesitating to speak.

“Sorry, ma’am, we’re closing,” he said.

I looked outside. It was already nine in the evening. I had been there for more than five hours. I wanted to ask if I could wait a little longer—what if Ian arrived and didn’t see me? But seeing how eager he was to go home, I had no choice but to leave.

I sat outside the café, hugging my knees. The wind was cold. There were only a few people passing by, so I felt comfortable sitting by the roadside.

I will keep waiting until he comes.

I dozed off when I felt someone sit beside me. I quickly lifted my head, thinking it was Ian. My lips parted in surprise when I saw the guy who ate my food weeks ago. He was still wearing our high school uniform. His hair was messy, but his face looked gentle. He sat a short distance away from me.

His presence didn’t surprise me at all. It felt like I was expecting him.

“Can you sit somewhere else?” I asked. He turned toward me and looked at me for a few seconds before answering.

“You seem like someone I don’t want to leave like this,” he said.

I didn’t respond. I just looked into his eyes. For some unknown reason, I felt warmth in his words.

I didn’t want to question why he was there or who he really was. I had no interest in knowing why he always appeared whenever I was at my lowest.

I rested my head on my knees again. We both stayed silent. I could hear my phone vibrating, but I had no intention of answering. I knew it was my parents calling, probably to scold me again for not being home yet.

Minutes passed, and I could still feel him beside me. Though he was a stranger, I felt comfortable with his presence.

“Lyn!”

I lifted my head again when I heard Ian’s voice. Joy surged inside me, but it vanished when I saw the anger on his face. He was breathing heavily, clearly from running.

“Han—”

“What are you doing?! Why are you still here? I told you to go home!” he shouted.

“I was waiting for you.”

“How stupid can you be not to realize I wasn’t coming?! You’re just making my life harder!” he snapped.

I couldn’t speak. I just stared at his eyes filled with irritation. After a moment, he tried to calm himself.

“Go home. We’ll talk tomorrow,” he said coldly. As always, he turned his back on me and left—without a trace of concern about whether I’d get home safely or not.

I looked to my side, remembering the guy who had been with me earlier. My eyes widened when I saw he was gone. I must not have noticed him leaving before Ian arrived.