At first, nothing had changed.
Classes continued as usual. Assignments were handed out, exams crept closer, and Fah's life followed the same predictable routine it always had.
Except, it hadn't.
Because now, Nara was there.
And just like that, two months passed.
Two months since Nara had walked into their lecture hall.
Two months since she had quietly integrated into their group.
Two months since Fah's life had started to shift in ways she couldn't explain.
It started with small things.
A glance held just a second too long.
A breath caught in her throat when she wasn't expecting it.
A name lingering in her mind when it had no reason to be there.
Fah told herself she was imagining it.
That the feeling would pass.
But it didn't.
It never did.
And that terrified her more than anything.
-The Library-
"Fah, focus."
Fah blinked, jerking back to reality as Nara's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She looked up from her notebook to see Nara watching her, one eyebrow slightly raised.
They were in the campus library, supposedly working on their assignment together. Or at least, Nara was. Fah had spent the last ten minutes pretending to read while her mind wandered.
She cleared her throat, shifting in her seat. "I am focused."
Nara didn't buy it. "You haven't written anything in ten minutes."
Fah exhaled through her nose, gripping her pen a little too tightly. Damn her for noticing.
"I'm just... thinking."
"About?"
Fah hesitated. "Stuff."
Nara arched a brow. "Specific."
Fah rolled her eyes, looking away. "It's nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
Because even now, she was aware of her.
The way Nara sat—still, but never stiff.
The way her fingers moved across the keyboard—calculated, unhurried.
The way her presence filled the space even when she wasn't speaking.
And that was the problem.
Because it was always like this.
She didn't know when it started, but ever since Nara arrived, her presence had settled in the back of Fah's mind and refused to leave.
It was frustrating. It was confusing. It was—
"You're staring again."
Fah's stomach flipped.
She snapped her gaze away, heat crawling up her neck. "I wasn't—"
"You were," Nara said simply, her expression unreadable.
For a moment, silence stretched between them.
Fah forced a cough, flipping a page in her notebook even though she hadn't written anything. "You really need to stop saying things like that."
"Why?"
"Because it makes things weird," Fah muttered.
Nara didn't react at first. Then, after a beat, she hummed.
It wasn't a real response. But something in it made Fah feel seen in a way she didn't want to be.
She didn't know what that meant.
And she wasn't sure she wanted to find out.
Fah squeezed her pen, trying to refocus. But as soon as she did, her thoughts slipped back to Nara.
It was ridiculous.
It had only been two months.
It shouldn't matter.
But it did.
The way Nara moved, the way she spoke, the way she was always just there—perfectly herself, never questioning anything, never second-guessing.
Meanwhile, Fah was having trouble thinking straight.
For the hundredth time that week, Fah glanced at Nara's page. It was neat. Perfectly written. Small, deliberate strokes. The kind of writing that said, "I'm always in control."
Fah exhaled sharply. She was overthinking this.
She turned back to her own notebook. But she couldn't focus. She couldn't ignore the fact that Nara was still there, still within her line of sight, still in her mind.
Her breath caught when their elbows brushed—just barely—but enough to make Fah's pulse skip.
She froze for a second. Did Nara notice? Did she—
"Sorry."
Fah glanced up quickly. Nara had barely reacted, a slight tilt of her head and a soft smile before she turned back to her work, already returning to the rhythm she'd never lost.
"Don't worry about it," Fah muttered, but her voice came out more strained than she intended.
Nara didn't seem to notice. Or maybe she did. It was hard to tell with her.
She was so composed, so distant in a way that made Fah feel like she had to put herself together every time they spoke, even if it was just for a second.
Fah squeezed her pen again, trying to refocus.
-Breaking the Silence-
A few minutes later, Nara broke the silence. "How's the assignment coming along?"
Fah blinked. The question was simple, casual, like they were just two students sitting next to each other, working through their tasks.
Fah opened her mouth to answer, but it came out a little more breathless than she intended. "It's fine. Just... hard to concentrate."
Nara nodded, her attention still on her own work. "I get that. There's a lot of pressure with this one."
Fah glanced at her, noticing the way Nara's brow furrowed slightly as she stared at her notes. She was focused, completely absorbed in her task.
Fah felt a sudden, irrational urge to just... say something.
"I—I know this is random, but... do you ever feel like... everything around you is just... moving too fast?"
Nara looked at her briefly, as if considering her words.
"Sometimes."
And that was it. She said nothing more, but the brief exchange felt like an anchor in the middle of a storm.
Fah turned back to her notes, but for the first time that afternoon, she finally managed to focus.
Not on the work, not on the assignment.
But on the strange pull that Nara had on her.
-Fah's Room-
The air was thick with something unspoken.
Fah hadn't been able to focus at the library.
She hadn't been able to focus on the walk back to her dorm.
And now—now she was lying in bed, staring blankly at her phone screen, trying to shake off whatever this was.
She exhaled, flipping onto her side.
Maybe she was tired. Maybe she just needed sleep.
Then her phone buzzed.
The screen lit up.
[Phat: Hey, you free?]
Fah sighed.
She hesitated for a moment before accepting the video call.
Phat's face filled the screen, his usual easy grin in place.
"Yo," he greeted, reclining back against his pillows. "You look half-dead."
Fah scoffed. "Thanks."
"Library?"
"Yeah."
Phat chuckled. "Must have been fun."
"It wasn't."
"Figured."
Silence settled between them—comfortable, familiar.
Then—
"Fah."
Something in his tone made her pause.
Phat's expression was unreadable now, the usual playfulness absent.
"Answer me honestly," he said. "What do you think of me as a guy?"
Fah blinked.
The question was so out of nowhere that it took her a second to process.
She let out a short laugh. "What kind of question is that?"
Phat shrugged, but there was something too casual about it. "I just want to know."
Fah tried to make it light. "You're a great friend, obviously."
"And?"
She hesitated.
Phat was still smiling, but his eyes were too steady, too expectant.
"Well?" he said, prompting her. "It's just a question! Nothing to be afraid of!"
Fah forced herself to laugh again, like it was nothing. "I don't know. You're... good-looking, I guess."
He laughed too, but it didn't reach his eyes.
And then, after a long pause, he said it.
"What about taking it one step further?"
Fah stopped breathing.
The words settled between them, heavier than they should have been.
She should answer. Say something. Anything.
But before she could, her phone buzzed loudly against her pillow.
A message lit up her screen, cutting through the silence.
[Nara: I want to talk to you. Are you free?]
Fah froze completely.
Her heart stopped in her chest.
Her throat tightened.
Phat's voice pulled her back. "Fah?"
She barely heard him.
Her eyes stayed glued to the screen, reading and re-reading Nara's words.
Why now?
Why did it feel like she couldn't ignore it?
"Sorry, Phat," she muttered. "I have to go."
Phat sat up. "Fah, wait—"
But she ended the call before he could finish.
No explanation. No hesitation.
She was already out the door.
-Nara's Room-
Now, she was here.
Outside Nara's dorm room, heart pounding, breath unsteady.
And suddenly, it hit her.
She had run all the way here.
In her pyjamas.
Her breath caught in her throat. She glanced down, horrified, at the oversized old university T-shirt she had thrown on for bed. The fabric was slightly wrinkled, the loose sleeves hanging off one shoulder, revealing more skin than she usually would in public.
And her shorts—oh god.
She had stormed out in these?
Her hair was probably a mess, her face still warm from rushing across campus.
What was she thinking?
She wasn't thinking.
That was the problem.
The realisation sent a fresh wave of panic through her. She should leave.
Right now. Turn around, go back to her room, pretend this never happened—
The door opened before she could move.
Fah froze.
And there she was.
Nara stood in the doorway, hair slightly damp, an oversized hoodie hanging loosely off her frame. She looked at Fah, not surprised—but not particularly expectant either.
Like she already knew Fah would be here.
Like she had been waiting.
Fah forgot how to breathe.
For a second, Nara just studied her, her expression unreadable. Then—
A tiny smile.
It wasn't obvious. Just a flicker, a twitch at the corner of her lips, like she was holding back a laugh.
Like she had noticed.
Like she had seen exactly what Fah was seeing now—a girl standing in front of her door, completely flustered, barely dressed for public, still panting from running across campus, looking like she had absolutely no idea why she was even here.
Fah's face burned.
Nara leaned against the doorframe, tilting her head. "That was... quick?"
She said it casually, her voice calm as ever.
But that tiny hint of amusement was still there, barely noticeable—but Fah noticed.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Fah swallowed hard, every thought colliding into itself.
"I..."
She had no answer.
She had no excuse.
She should leave.
She should say something.
She should—
Nara stepped back and opened the door wider.
"Come in."
Just like that.
Nonchalant. Effortless. Like this was nothing to her.
Fah's brain short-circuited.
She had expected—what? That Nara would question her? That she'd ask why she was here, standing outside her room in the middle of the night like an idiot?
But Nara didn't ask.
She just... let her in.
As if this was normal.
As if this was inevitable.
Fah's heart hammered against her ribs.
Her feet moved before she could stop them.
And just like that—
She stepped inside.