Chapter 1

Nani Hirunkit

I groggily opened my eyes to the soft warmth of my bed. Something felt heavy on me. The weight shifted slightly, and I blinked, confused. A sudden realization hit me as I glanced down and saw Sky's arm draped across my chest, his contented expression still soft as he slept.

How had Sky found his way into my bed again? The warmth of his embrace sent a strange mixture of comfort and anxiety through me. I could feel the steady rise and fall of his breath against my side, and for a moment, everything felt surreal. His presence was both calming and overwhelming-too familiar, yet too close.

I flushed, my face growing warm. I wanted to move, to escape the situation, but I didn't want to disturb him. The soft sound of his breathing soothed me. Sky was always so peaceful when he slept-nothing like the playful tease he usually wore when he was awake.

I slowly lifted my hand, almost instinctively, to brush a stray lock of his messy hair off his forehead. But as soon as my fingers hovered above his face, I froze. My heart raced in my chest. What was I doing? I quickly pulled my hand back, forcing myself to remain still. My whole body was buzzing with anxiety and something else-something I didn't want to name.

Sky shifted in his sleep, his arm tightening around me just for a second before he let out a soft sigh and snuggled closer.

My cheeks burned even more. Why does he have to make me feel like this?

I had moved a little, accidentally disturbing him. The shift made him tighten his grip around me for a moment before he fully woke up. My heart raced. Did he notice? Did he know?

Then, Sky stirred, his eyes fluttering open to meet my gaze. "Good morning..." he murmured, his voice thick with sleep. He blinked slowly, his gaze soft and unfocused. "How was your sleep?"

"Good... good morning," I said, trying to sound calm. "It was fine..."

Sky stretched and yawned, still wearing that sleepy grin. "I really don't wanna go to class today. I'd rather spend time with you alone," he said in that low, sleep-heavy tone.

My heart skipped a beat. I quickly looked away, praying my face wasn't giving away anything. Sky just chuckled lightly, brushing it off.

"You had a nightmare again today... I just hugged you back to sleep. Everything okay?" he asked as he climbed out of bed. I didn't know how to respond. Was everything okay?

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The walk to the university felt longer than usual. Sky walked beside me, chatting and making jokes like he always did, but I could barely keep up. Every time he glanced over at me, I quickly looked away, feeling like I was caught in something I shouldn't be.

"So," Sky said, as we neared the campus, "are you ready for today? Got any fun assignments coming up?"

I nodded, my response a little slower than usual. "Yeah... I guess."

Sky grinned. "Well, hopefully, it's not as boring as last time. Architecture class was a pain."

I gave him a look of surprise. "You're complaining? I thought you loved it."

Sky rolled his eyes. "I do, but sometimes they give us way too much homework. You'd think that with all the projects, they'd cut us a little slack."

I smiled, despite myself. "Sounds like every major has its ups and downs."

Sky grinned wider. "Yeah, true. Hopefully, the professors go easy on us today."

We reached the entrance to the building and found our friends-Dew, Win, Perth, Santa, Aou, Boom, Joong, and Dunk-already chatting by the doors.

"Hey!" Dew called as he spotted us. He glanced at me with a teasing smirk. "You look like you're still half asleep. Everything good, Nani?"

I shrugged. "Yeah, just didn't sleep well. A bit tired."

Santa, always quick to crack a joke, flashed me a smile. "Long night, huh?"

Perth looked at me thoughtfully, his calm demeanor not hiding his curiosity.

"I guess," I muttered, not wanting to talk about it.

Boom leaned over to Santa, grinning. "Nani looks like he's running on autopilot today."

Aou giggled but quickly got back to business. "Oh, Sky, don't forget we have to submit that house project soon. The professor wanted me to remind you."

"Ugh, I'm barely finished with it and she already wants it done?", Sky groaned annoyed.

Joong watched everyone quietly, never one to jump in, but always paying attention.

Dunk, always in a playful mood, nudged Joong. "Hey, do you think something happened between these two?" he said, pointing at Sky and me.

Win, who had been silent the whole time, gave me a small, understanding look before turning his attention elsewhere. There was something about Win-he was never the type to tease or make a big deal out of anything, and that made me feel a little more at ease.

Sky, clueless as always, clapped me on the back. "Alright, enough talk. We'll be late to our classes if we don't hurry."

Literature and architecture were in the same building, which is why Aou, Sky, Boom and I went together to our first lecture. As we walked side by side, I felt the tension from the morning slowly start to ease. My friends were busy chatting and joking, but my mind was still preoccupied with the events of earlier.

Seeing my teacher, I quickly parted ways with them and entered the room.

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After class, we all headed out and made our way toward the dorm. Our friends scattered in different directions-some heading to their next class, some to their dorms-but Sky and I were going back to our shared dorm together.

As we walked, Sky patted me on the back, smiling. "See? You survived the morning. Not so bad, huh?"

I managed a small smile, still processing everything. Sky, always so casual, didn't seem to notice anything was off. He walked beside me like it was just another day. Before I could respond, Sky turned to me with a relaxed grin.

"Oh, by the way," he said, his voice light, "you were talking in your sleep last night. I swear I heard my name. Got a weird dream or something?"

I froze, my heart pounding in my chest. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. My mind was racing, but no words came.

Sky, oblivious to how tense I had become, continued on as if nothing had happened. "Eh, probably nothing. Anyway, let's just get back to the dorm."

I stayed frozen for a long moment, unable to say a thing. The weight of his casual words sat heavily on my chest.

Did he really not notice anything?