Chapter Five: You were humming again
1617 Words
Tori's POV
The next day at school, I was still thinking about him.
Ryan.
I barely slept last night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw that moment—his arm around me, the way he asked "Are you okay?" like he actually cared. Ugh. I even replayed it in slow motion like one of those dramatic movie scenes. What is wrong with me?
Rose leaned closer at lunch, squinting at me. "Why are you smiling like a girl in a shampoo commercial?"
"I am not," I snapped, a little too quickly.
"You are! You're doing the dreamy smile. The 'my heart has been kidn*pped' smile." He gasped.
Rose's eyes widened. "Oh my god. Is it... Ryan?!"
I covered my face with my hands and groaned.
He squealed. "I knew it! That save yesterday. Very K-drama of him. You've found your prince, haven't you?"
I peeked at him between my fingers. "Do you think... he even remembers me?"
Before Rose could answer, a voice behind us made me freeze.
"Hey, you, okay? You didn't hit your head or anything, right?"
I slowly turned around. It was Ryan.
Standing. In front of me. Talking. To me.
My mouth refused to work, but Rose—bless his overly dramatic soul—stood and bowed like a waiter.
"She's fine. Just emotionally bruised from your heroic save," he said with a wink.
Ryan laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right... well, uh, glad you're okay, Tori."
He said my name.
And then—he walked away.
I stared after him, stunned.
Rose grabbed my shoulders. "Girl, this is it. The universe has spoken."
I could only nod, my heartbeat pounding louder than the lunch bell.
I was still half-floating from lunch, my head in the clouds thanks to Ryan's surprise check-in. Honestly, I didn't even know he knew my name before today.
I walked into the classroom with Rose, humming softly—okay, more like spinning in a Disney-princess-level daze—and plopped into my seat. Rose was still teasing me, whispering "Ryan's voice is your new ringtone" nonsense under his breath.
Then Caius walked in.
Silent, cold, carrying that mysterious air like always. He took his seat beside mine, as usual. But this time, he didn't just ignore me. He glanced at me.
No. Glared.
Only for half a second—but I caught it.
"You're unusually cheerful," he muttered, eyes forward.
"Huh?" I blinked. "I mean, I guess?"
He turned slightly, looking at me with his usual bored expression—but something was different. Like the edge of his voice had sharpened just a little.
"I saw you earlier. With that guy. Ryan."
My eyebrows rose. "You did?"
"Didn't realize he was your type."
Okay—ouch? "What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged, cool as ever. "Nothing. Just an observation."
After school...
I didn't expect to see Ryan waiting by the school garden.
He was leaning against the gate, his bag slung over one shoulder, casually bouncing a basketball on the ground. When he saw me, his face lit up—not a smirk, not one of those playful "I'm-so-cool" grins—but something genuine.
"Hey, Tori," he said, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. "You walk this way home, right?"
"Uh... yeah," I answered, trying to hide how my brain had just melted into glitter and sparks. "Why?"
"I figured I'd walk with you. If that's okay?"
I nodded so fast I nearly dislocated my neck. "Totally fine! I mean... sure."
We started walking side by side. The sky was a soft orange, the kind that looked like a painting. I kicked a pebble along the sidewalk while Ryan occasionally bounced the ball as we strolled.
"You like books, right?" he asked.
I turned to him in surprise. "Yeah. How'd you know?"
"You talk about them a lot. And sometimes your lunch has notes inside your book pages."
I blinked. "You... noticed?"
He grinned. "Maybe."
We walked in silence for a few seconds. A soft, comfortable silence. Not awkward like most. Then he suddenly said:
"Hey... if you were a book character, you'd probably be the main heroine."
I turned red. "That is the nerdiest and nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."
He chuckled. "Well, if your 'prince' doesn't show up soon, I might just take the role."
Boom. Heart? Dead. Gone. Sent to another dimension.
I didn't know what to say. So, I laughed nervously and mumbled, "You'd have to battle a dragon first."
He smirked. "Sounds like a fair trade."
Meanwhile, from the second-floor hallway, Caius stood near the window, watching the two of us disappear down the sidewalk.
He didn't say a word.
But he did tighten his grip on the book in his hands.
I was humming the tune of my favorite Disney song while flipping through the pages of my new book, curled up on the living room couch. The afternoon sun streamed softly through the curtains, casting golden light on the floor.
Then—
It wasn't loud. Just soft, hesitant. Almost polite.
I frowned, dog-eared my page (sorry, book), and stood up. I padded over to the door and opened it.
And there he was.
Caius.
In his usual calm, unreadable self. Hair slightly tousled, hands in his pockets. He blinked once, then nodded slightly. "Hey."
"Uh... hi?" I tilted my head. "You lost? Because you don't usually knock. You just... appear."
He looked down for a moment, then back at me. "Your dad told me to drop this off." He raised a small paper bag. "Something from his office."
"Oh. Okay. Thanks." I reached out to take it, but he didn't let go just yet.
"...You were humming," he said suddenly, eyes narrowing a little. "Again."
I blinked. "Is that a crime?"
"No. Just... loud."
I gasped dramatically. "Excuse me, Mr. Ice Prince. That's called joy."
He finally handed over the bag, then glanced past my shoulder. "You were reading."
"Yeah." I held up the book in my other hand. "Want to come in? Or are you on a secret spy mission and you'll vanish again in five seconds?"
He paused. "I'll stay. Five minutes."
I stepped aside, letting him in, and as he walked past me, I noticed something unusual.
He wasn't looking at the book.
He was looking at me—the way I smiled, the way I teased, the way I kept humming like I didn't have a single care.
And I wondered...
Was he here for the bag?
I cleared my throat, trying to shake off whatever strange tension was hanging in the air.
"Are you okay?" I asked, leaning a little against the doorframe.
He glanced at me. "Why? Do I look like I'm not okay?"
I shrugged, hugging the paper bag to my chest. "You seem... off. Not your usual quiet-and-unbothered self."
Caius looked away, jaw tightening ever so slightly. He walked over and sat on the edge of the couch, staring at the floor like it had personally offended him.
"I'm fine," he finally said.
Liar.
I walked over slowly and sat down a cushion away. "You know, when people say 'I'm fine' like that, it usually means they're not."
He raised an eyebrow. "You've been reading too many books."
"Guilty," I said with a smirk. "But also, I live with a mom who can read me like a novel. So yeah, I can tell when someone's faking their 'fine.'"
There was a pause. A long one. I didn't push him—I just sat, quietly flipping my book open again, pretending not to care.
"Do you like Ryan?"
He didn't look at me. Just stared straight ahead, expression blank. But his hands? They were gripping the edge of the cushion like he was holding something back.
"Right," I said, keeping my voice light. "He saved me from a death-by-basketball situation. Hero of the year."
"You looked... happy," he said.
I blinked. "Well, I was almost murdered by a rogue basketball, so yeah. Not being flattened does bring me joy."
Caius let out a soft exhale, something between a laugh and a sigh. "Whatever."
I closed the book softly and placed it on the table.
"Look, Caius," I said, turning toward him, "if you're mad about something, you can just say it. I don't bite."
He scoffed quietly. "I'm not mad."
"Annoyed, then?"
"No."
"Unless your gay?"
His head turned sharply toward me, eyes narrowed. "What?"
I smirked, teasing. "Kidding. Unless... I'm not."
He rolled his eyes and leaned back against the couch; arms crossed like a stubborn child.
"It's just... weird."
"What is?"
He hesitated, then said, "Seeing you smile like that. With someone else."
I blinked. The room felt warmer, suddenly.
"Oh..." I mumbled, caught off guard.
Silence.
Then I laughed lightly, trying to defuse the awkward air. "I didn't know you paid that much attention to my smiling habits."
Caius didn't respond. His eyes dropped to the floor again.
"You know," I said gently, "you can just tell me if something's bothering you. I won't make fun."
He sighed. "I'm not good at this."
"At what?"
He glanced at me, and for the first time that day, there was something vulnerable in his expression.
"I just thought..." he paused. "Never mind."
Now I leaned a bit closer. "You thought what?"
Caius looked at me, eyes searching, but then he stood up abruptly. "Forget it. It's nothing."
"Caius—"
"I'll see you tomorrow," he muttered, already walking toward the door.
He opened it, paused, then without turning around said, "And tell your imaginary prince to calm down. He's making too much noise in your head."
I blinked. And then I smiled.
.......................................
Hi-Yu
- Writer
