Iris's POV
Morning sunlight quietly slipped through the curtains, falling across the study table.
I stretched my arms above my head before looking around the room.
Today.
Anya was coming.
I smiled faintly and pulled my chair closer to the table.
Practice sheets...
Formula notebook...
Question bank...
One by one I arranged everything into neat piles.
"..."
Just as I reached for another notebook, my eyes drifted toward the wall beside my bed.
The small paper hangings swayed gently with the breeze entering through the window.
I hadn't added a new one...
For quite a long time.
Slowly, I stood up.
Opening the drawer, I took out a square sheet of paper along with a black pen.
The blank paper stared back at me.
"..."
What should I write?
Usually...
Words came on their own.
Today...
Nothing.
I rested the pen against my lips.
Without realizing it...
Memories quietly slipped into my mind.
The first day I shifted here.
That hill he took me to.
His songs floating through the night.
The birthday.
The way he stayed awake...
just so I could sleep comfortably.
...
Then...
That hug.
My pen stopped moving.
Heat slowly crept onto my cheeks.
"..."
Why...
was I thinking about that again?
I lowered my head, trying to ignore the warmth that had suddenly returned.
That feeling...
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't exciting.
It was simply...
warm.
The corner of my lips curved unconsciously.
Before I could think any further...
the pen had already begun moving.
> A single warmth on the coldest nights.
I stared at the sentence for a long moment.
"..."
Why warmth?
I quietly folded the paper and pinned it beside the others.
Maybe...
it simply felt right.
---
After checking the time, I walked out of my room.
The apartment was unusually quiet.
Kaizer had probably gone back to his room after breakfast.
I was just about to make myself some tea—
Ding Dong.
A smile immediately appeared on my face.
"Anya."
I hurried toward the door and opened it.
"..."
The smile froze.
Lux stood outside, carrying a backpack over one shoulder.
He looked at my expression before sighing dramatically.
"So..."
"That smile definitely wasn't for me."
I blinked.
"...Good morning."
He placed a hand over his chest.
"So formal."
"I call you Sister Iris every day."
"You could at least pretend to be happy."
I couldn't help smiling a little.
"What are you doing here?"
He shrugged.
"Angry Bird told me she's coming here to study."
"So..."
"I also came."
I stepped aside.
"Come in."
"Want some water?"
"No."
"Tea?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I came to disturb Kaizer."
"..."
"He's in his room."
Lux grinned proudly.
"Perfect."
Before he could even take a step—
Ding Dong.
This time...
I smiled without thinking.
Lux looked at me.
"..."
"I knew it."
"That smile wasn't for me."
I ignored him and opened the door.
"Anya."
She immediately walked inside.
Behind her...
Grace smiled politely.
"Good morning."
"Come in."
As soon as the door closed—
Lux loudly announced,
"GOOD MORNING, ANGRY BIRD!"
Anya didn't even look at him.
"It's nine in the morning."
"Why are you shouting?"
"I greeted you."
"You greeted the entire neighbourhood."
Grace quietly laughed.
---
Another door opened.
I instinctively looked up.
Kaizer stepped out of his room.
He looked toward everyone...
before quietly walking over to where I stood.
Stopping beside me, he leaned slightly closer.
"I thought only one person was coming."
I nodded.
"So did I."
That was all.
Then—
"Oi!"
Lux pointed dramatically at us.
"When did you two start whispering?"
"You don't even whisper to me."
Kaizer slowly looked at him.
"..."
Before either of us could answer—
Anya noticed too.
"Oh..."
"So that's what was happening."
"What?"
I asked.
"Nothing."
Grace had been quietly observing everyone until now.
She looked at me.
Then at Kaizer.
Then back at me.
Very innocently...
"So..."
"This is your almost boyfriend?"
...
Silence.
My ears instantly became hot.
I coughed.
Beside me...
Kaizer also coughed.
Neither of us looked at each other.
Lux bent over laughing.
Anya covered her face.
"Grace..."
"You said that out loud."
Grace blinked.
"...I wasn't supposed to?"
I cleared my throat.
"Let's..."
"...study."
No one argued.
Everyone quietly took their seats around the table.
The atmosphere...
was somehow even more awkward than before.
---
Kaizer's POV
I opened my chemistry notebook.
Or...
at least I tried to.
There wasn't a single peaceful second in this house.
Lux had taken the chair beside me while the three girls occupied the opposite side of the table.
I quietly uncapped my pen.
Five seconds.
That was all the silence I got.
"So then she actually found out about her husband's affair..."
Grace whispered.
Anya immediately leaned forward.
"No!"
"Yes!"
I looked up once.
"..."
They weren't even studying.
I lowered my head again.
Atomic radius decreases across a period...
"I still think aunty shouldn't have forgiven him."
"No, but imagine..."
"And then—"
"The manager scolded me."
"The one from your café?"
"Yes..."
I absent-mindedly solved another question.
"..."
"When is your chemistry test?"
"Monday."
"Mine too."
"By the way..."
"What was the formula of angular momentum?"
I stopped writing.
Looked at Lux.
He looked back at me.
"..."
How...
did they reach angular momentum from someone's affair?
Lux shrugged.
"I've stopped questioning them."
Fair enough.
I went back to chemistry.
The girls continued talking as though no topic in this world was unrelated.
Somehow...
they always managed to connect everything.
I quietly looked up again.
Iris was laughing.
Not politely.
Not because she had to.
She was genuinely laughing.
Her shoulders moved slightly.
The corners of her eyes curved.
...
A smile unknowingly appeared on my own face.
"Men in love."
I froze.
Lux hadn't even looked at me.
He was still pretending to solve physics.
I sighed softly.
Neither agreeing.
Nor denying.
I simply returned to my notebook.
---
A few minutes later...
Another thought brushed past my mind.
>* Why isn't she talking to me today?*
I blinked.
That wasn't one of the girls.
I turned toward the source.
Lux.
He wasn't looking at me.
He was...
looking across the table.
I followed his gaze.
Anya.
...
Oh.
I slowly looked back at him.
Raised one eyebrow.
He noticed.
"What?"
he whispered.
I leaned slightly closer.
"Don't stare too much."
"It's obvious."
Lux almost dropped his pen.
"What?"
"No."
"I wasn't—"
He immediately looked away.
I simply returned to chemistry.
He wasn't fooling anyone.
---
Meanwhile...
the girls had reached another topic.
"My workplace is actually quite nice."
Grace smiled.
"Everyone helps each other."
"No unnecessary shouting."
"They explain things properly."
Anya nodded.
"New companies are usually like that."
"They're more friendly."
Iris smiled too.
"So..."
"How is your boss?"
Grace paused.
"...He's nice."
"But..."
Anya immediately leaned forward.
"But?"
Grace sighed.
"He always looks like he survives on coffee."
The three girls nodded together.
"I swear..."
"He has these dark circles under his eyes."
"And sometimes I wonder if he even sleeps."
"He doesn't boss around unnecessarily though."
"He just..."
She searched for the word.
"...looks tired all the time."
A faint sound came from behind me.
A door opening.
I instinctively turned.
Kuya.
I raised an eyebrow.
He wasn't supposed to come today.
At the exact same moment...
another thought crashed into my head.
>* What the hell?!*
I frowned.
Whose thought was—
My eyes moved around the room.
Couldn't tell.
---
"Kuya."
He smiled.
"Studying?"
"Trying to."
He laughed softly before resting one hand on my shoulder.
Only then did I notice...
His eyes weren't on me.
They were...
on Grace.
...
Workplace.
Friendly employees.
Boss.
Coffee.
Dark circles.
...
Ah.
So...
she was talking about Kuya's company.
Interesting.
"Rian!"
Iris smiled.
"I didn't know you were coming today."
"I wasn't."
"I was nearby."
"So I thought I'd visit my little brother."
Lux stood up and greeted him.
Anya introduced herself politely.
Grace...
had become unusually quiet.
Very unlike before.
Kuya smiled at everyone.
"You all should study hard."
Lux immediately spoke.
"We were just talking about Grace's old-aged boss."
I almost laughed.
Old-aged?
Kuya?
I bit the inside of my cheek.
Kuya's smile twitched.
Grace quickly shook her head.
"I didn't mean old!"
"I meant—"
Anya continued confidently,
"Just imagine."
"A bald old boss."
"They usually have strange habits."
"And don't become too close."
"They often have ulterior motives."
"I watched a drama last week."
"It started exactly like that."
Iris nodded seriously.
"That's actually true."
"Be careful."
I looked at Iris.
Then slowly shifted my gaze...
between Kuya...
and Grace.
She followed my eyes.
Looked at Kuya.
Looked back at me.
...
Her eyes widened.
She looked at me again.
I gave the smallest nod.
Yes.
That's him.
Her lips pressed together instantly.
She looked like she wanted to laugh.
Very badly.
I looked away before I did the same.
"We should study."
I interrupted calmly.
"We can humiliate Grace's boss another time."
Everyone nodded.
"Right."
"Chemistry first."
As everyone settled again...
I noticed Iris lean toward Anya.
She whispered something.
I didn't even need to read her lips.
I already knew.
Don't say anything.
I leaned toward Lux.
"Don't."
He frowned.
"What?"
I simply looked toward Kuya.
Then toward Grace.
Lux followed my gaze.
...
"Oh."
His eyes widened.
Across the table...
the four of us looked at each other for one brief second.
No words.
Just silent agreement.
Nobody...
was going to continue this conversation.
For Grace's sake.
And perhaps...
for Kuya's too.
The room finally became quiet.
For almost thirty seconds.
Then, completely out of nowhere—
Kuya spoke.
"You know..."
"When Kaizer was little..."
"There was another girl."
I looked up.
Uh oh.
"She was one year older than him."
"He followed her everywhere."
"She was practically his favourite person."
Silence.
I instinctively looked at Iris.
Her brows had knitted together ever so slightly.
Just for a moment.
Then...
she smiled.
It wasn't her usual smile.
"Aww..."
"That's so sweet."
Beside me, Lux leaned closer.
"That expression..."
"...was definitely not sweet."
I looked back at Iris.
She met my eyes for the briefest second...
before immediately looking away.
Her attention returned to Kuya.
...
Something quietly clicked inside my head.
...
Oh.
The corner of my lips lifted ever so slightly.