ADVENTURES BEYOND: Love, betrayal and everything in between

“Hey!” I called out, my voice echoing slightly off the tiled walls. The boy didn’t flinch. He seemed completely absorbed by whatever he was doing, bent over the sink, hands in the water. Maybe he didn’t hear me. Or maybe… maybe he did and just chose not to respond. I stepped forward, furrowing my brow. “Hello?” I called again, a bit more firmly this time. “What are you doing here?” That was when he finally looked up—and in that moment, everything shifted. I couldn’t hear whatever he said. My breath caught in my throat, and my mouth fell open without warning. It wasn’t just surprise. It was something more intense, more consuming. He was beautiful. No, beautiful didn’t quite cover it. He was striking in a way that made reality seem like it had slowed down. His face looked like it had been crafted by the imagination of some brilliant author—one of those fictional male characters described so vividly you wondered if such perfection could exist outside the pages of a book. He was more handsome than my uncle Bryan, and I’d always thought no one could top that. I didn’t even realize he had moved until he was suddenly right in front of me. My body tensed. He was far too close for comfort. I flinched and instinctively took a step back, heat rushing to my cheeks. He noticed, of course. A knowing smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “And what am I supposed to be doing in the bathroom?” he asked, voice low and smooth, with the tiniest edge of amusement. My throat went dry. I couldn’t find my voice, not with him staring at me like that. I must have looked completely dazed. “Hey… are you mute or something?” he teased. “Because I’m sure I heard you speak just now.” I forced a breath and managed, “You’re not supposed to be here. This is the ladies’ bathroom.” He blinked, feigning surprise. “Ohh… I didn’t realize. Sorry.” Then, his gaze softened with concern. “You look flushed. Do you want to sit down for a moment?” “No. I’m fine,” I said quickly, my voice too sharp, too defensive. I turned and started walking away, heart pounding. I could practically feel the blood draining from my face. I must’ve looked like a ghost. It wasn’t until I pushed through the bathroom door that I bumped right into Shelly. Her mouth was open like she was about to say something, but the words got stuck in her throat. She looked me up and down, eyes wide with alarm. “Oh my God, Audrey, what happened? You look so pale!” she exclaimed. Before I could even start to explain, the bathroom door opened again and out stepped… him. Shelly’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. She was practically drooling. I felt something twist inside me—jealousy, sharp and unexpected. I wanted to reach out, grab his hand, and say, He’s mine. Even though I barely knew him. Even though that would be insane. He gave us a casual smile and then walked off down the hallway like he wasn’t carrying the hearts of two teenage girls in his back pocket. Shelly blinked, still watching him go. “I wonder what class he’s in,” she murmured dreamily. Then she turned to me sharply. “Wait… Don’t tell me. The reason you look like this—was it because of him?” I rolled my eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. And he’s not the reason I look pale. This… this has been happening since break. I don’t know what it is, but it keeps happening.” Her expression turned serious again. “You should really go to the hospital, Audrey. Before it gets worse.” “I’m fine,” I insisted, brushing past the growing worry in my chest. “Anyway, was there a reason you came to find me?” “Oh! Right. I almost forgot—you were gone for like fifteen minutes. I was starting to think you got kidn*pped or something.” I laughed, grateful for the change in subject. “Let’s get to class, and stop looking at me like you want to devour me.” We hurried back, hoping we weren’t too late. Thankfully, the lesson hadn’t ended yet. We slipped into our seats, breathing a little easier. The teacher hadn’t noticed our late entrance—or so we thought. That’s when he walked in. The same boy. The boy from the bathroom. The one with the perfect face and the dangerously captivating presence. The teacher turned toward him with a raised brow. “Ahem. Why are you just coming in?” “I got lost,” he said, completely serious, as if that answered everything. She stared at him for a second longer, then turned to the class. “So, we have a new student today.” Her gaze swung back to him. “Care to introduce yourself?” “No,” he replied, cool and unwavering. There was an awkward pause before she gave up. “Alright then. Just take a seat.” And he did. Right next to me. I froze. Literally froze in place. My brain short-circuited. I couldn’t hear the teacher anymore. Her voice faded into static as I stared at my notebook, pretending I was taking notes while my heart pounded so loudly I was convinced he could hear it. Shelly, lucky her, was sitting up front due to her poor eyesight, blissfully unaware of the chaos unfolding beside me. I barely caught a word the teacher said. Something about a project? I’d have to ask Shelly about it later. I couldn’t even remember what subject we were in. All I could think about was him—his presence, his scent, the way he sat there like he owned the air around him. When the bell finally rang, I was the first one to grab my bag. I needed to escape. To breathe. Shelly wasn’t at her desk. I vaguely remembered her saying something earlier about going to the bathroom. Everything felt like a blur today. I walked through the hallway feeling like my energy had been completely drained. That boy—Mr. Model, as my brain had decided to call him—was exhausting in every possible way. I just wanted to go home and collapse into bed. --- Later that evening, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. The day played on repeat in my head. His eyes. His voice. That smirk. And the fact that he chose the seat next to mine out of all the others. Coincidence? Or fate? Shelly would definitely call it fate. She loved romance stories and would probably say it was written in the stars. I wasn’t so sure. Still, I couldn’t deny the effect he had on me. I’d never felt like this before. Not for anyone. Not even for Daniel Park from last year, and I’d had a pretty big crush on him for months. This… this was different. Deeper. More intense. Scary, even. What made it worse was that I didn’t even know his name. I closed my eyes and sighed. God help me if he stays in that seat for the rest of the term. --- The next day, I was determined to do better. Focus. Pay attention. Stop letting Mr. Model h****k my brain. But the moment I walked into class and saw him already sitting there—smirking, like he knew the effect he had—I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. I sat down, determined not to look at him. I kept my eyes glued to the board. But then I felt it—his gaze. It was like a weight, warm and heavy on the side of my face. I risked a glance. He didn’t look away. He raised a brow, amused. “You’re early today.” “I usually am,” I replied, trying to sound casual. He tilted his head. “You okay now? You looked like you were about to faint yesterday.” “I was just… surprised. That’s all.” “By me?” he asked, grinning. I scowled. “Don’t flatter yourself.” But he just chuckled and leaned back in his chair, like he had all the time in the world to unravel me piece by piece. Great, I thought. I’m doomed. --