STILLNESS AND STATIC
1121 Words
Chapter 4: Stillness and Static
Seren Aveline Marquez's POV
Some people like the rain. Some find comfort in the way it taps gently against rooftops, how it blurs the edges of the world, like it’s trying to soften everything. But me? I just hate how it interrupts routine.
Rain meant I had to cut training short today. The gym's roof leaked again, right on court three, my usual spot. I sat by the edge of the court, towel around my neck, earbuds in — but no music played. I just didn’t want anyone talking to me.
“Rough day?”
I stiffened. I didn’t even have to look. I knew that voice.
Kael.
“I’m not in the mood,” I replied, not even removing one earbud.
“Didn’t ask if you were,” he said, dropping his gym bag on the bench a few feet away from me. He sat down with a sigh, as if he had every right to be here.
I shot him a glance. “Don’t you have a fan club to entertain?”
He smirked. “Tired of them. Thought I’d talk to someone interesting for once.”
I rolled my eyes and faced forward again. “Well, I’m not interested.”
Silence.
He didn’t respond. And for a second, I thought he’d finally gotten the message and left. But when I turned slightly, he was still there, elbows on his knees, staring at the court like it held all the answers to life.
“You’re weird,” I muttered.
Kael tilted his head. “Says the girl who talks to herself while practicing.”
My ears turned red. “I don’t.”
“You do.” He grinned. “You mumble. Count steps. Whisper, ‘again’ like you're in a movie montage.”
I scoffed. “So you stalk me now?”
“No. I just… observe,” he said, shrugging. “You’re different from the others.”
I turned fully to him now, eyebrow raised. “You say that to every girl?”
“No. Just you.”
I didn’t know what to say to that.
So I didn’t say anything.
---
Kael Ronin Navarro’s POV
She’s fascinating. Even when she’s being rude.
There’s something about Seren Aveline Marquez that makes silence louder. Like, even when she’s not speaking, her presence fills the room.
I watched her watching the rain, the way her fingers twitched like she wanted to be somewhere else. The way she avoided eye contact when things got too real. The way she always acted like the world was a test she had to ace.
I leaned back, stretching my arms behind the bench.
“Didn’t know you hated rain,” I said.
“I don’t hate it,” she replied, finally taking her other earbud out. “It’s just… inconvenient.”
“You plan everything, huh?”
“Of course.” She blinked at me like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“What happens when things don’t go as planned?”
“I adjust.”
“That easy?”
“No. But what choice do I have?”
That answer. That exact answer told me more about her than any profile ever could.
“Ever thought of not planning?” I asked.
She laughed under her breath. “Spontaneity isn’t my thing.”
“Maybe you need it to be.”
“Maybe you should stop analyzing me,” she shot back.
I held up my hands. “Touché.”
But I couldn’t stop. Not really.
---
Seren’s POV
He wasn’t leaving.
Most people walk away when I shut down a conversation. They take the hint. Kael? He just stayed. Quiet, annoying, persistent.
“You always hang out here?” he asked.
“Only when I want to be alone.”
“...Then I’m ruining it.”
“Yes.”
“…Want me to go?”
I paused.
It would’ve been easy to say yes. But somehow, I didn’t.
“No.”
His expression shifted. A little softer. A little more surprised than cocky this time.
We sat there, watching the rain smear the glass windows. For a moment, the world stopped trying so hard to be dramatic. It was just quiet.
“Why badminton?” he asked eventually.
I shrugged. “It makes sense. It’s one-on-one. It’s predictable. I like predictable.”
“People say that about biking, too.”
“But?”
He smirked. “Biking’s chaos. That’s why I like it.”
I almost smiled. Almost.
“Opposites, huh?” he added.
I nodded. “Very.”
“Maybe that’s why I’m talking to you.”
“Or maybe you’re just bored.”
He grinned. “Maybe both.”
---
Kael’s POV
There’s a fine line between being interested and being too interested. And I was walking that line dangerously close.
I never chased anyone. Never had to. Girls came, left, some stayed longer than others, but none of them made me pause.
Seren made me pause.
She didn’t try to impress me. Didn’t change the way she sat or spoke or existed just because I was around. She stayed still. Strong.
And that stillness? It drew me in.
“You know,” I said, breaking the silence again. “You don’t always have to be on guard.”
She looked at me, her face unreadable. “You don’t always have to be charming.”
“you got me again.”
“You’re full of contradictions.”
“So are you.”
Another pause. But it wasn’t heavy. Just… thoughtful.
“I heard you’re a playboy,” she said suddenly, not looking at me.
I blinked. “Is that what they’re saying now?”
“Is it true?”
“Does it matter?”
She finally turned, eyes sharp. “Yes. Because I don’t waste time on people who play games.”
I met her gaze, serious now. “Then don’t waste your time. I’m not here to play.”
Her eyes narrowed, studying me like I was some book she wasn’t sure she wanted to read. But I could see it — the curiosity. The slow unraveling of a wall she wasn’t ready to admit she had.
And just when I thought she’d say something more —
Bea’s voice echoed from down the hall. “Seren! Practice room’s open again!”
She stood up instantly, like the moment had never happened.
“Duty calls,” she said flatly.
I nodded. “Guess I’ll see you around, Ice Queen.”
She rolled her eyes but didn’t correct me.
And just like that, she walked away.
But for the first time in a long time, I wanted to chase.
---
To be continued…
- Writer
