Chapter 4

Sky Wongravee

The lecture was droning on, but none of it was sticking. I should have been paying attention, taking notes, or at least pretending to look engaged. But all I could focus on was Nani. He hadn't replied to my messages, hadn't answered my calls. It was driving me crazy.

I sat in the back of the classroom, mindlessly tapping my pen against the desk as my professor's voice faded into background noise. Every time I closed my eyes, I could still feel Nani's presence from last night-the way he'd looked at me, how close we'd been, the kiss. I could still feel the heat of it, the intensity of his gaze. It made my stomach twist with a mixture of guilt and something else I couldn't quite name.

The lecture on architectural principles was something I normally found interesting, but today it just felt like a blur. I kept glancing at the clock, counting down the minutes until the class ended, so I could escape for a moment and try to call Nani again.

Suddenly, I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned to the side to see Aou leaning toward me, his usual mischievous grin on his face.

"Sky," he said in a low voice, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "You've been staring at the clock for the past ten minutes. You waiting for the class to end, or are you just hoping for a miracle?"

I frowned, trying to shake off the distraction. "Yeah, just... distracted," I muttered, trying to sound casual. I didn't want to get into it. Not here, not now.

Boom, sitting right in front of us, turned in his seat and raised an eyebrow at me. "You're not even pretending to listen," he said, his voice a little louder than necessary. "You alright? You look like you're somewhere else."

I felt my cheeks flush slightly, but I tried to brush it off. "I'm fine. Just... thinking about something." I said, my gaze drifting back to the clock, though I could still feel Boom and Aou watching me intently.

Aou smirked. "Thinking about Nani?" He asked, his voice quiet but teasing.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt my stomach twist uncomfortably. "What? No," I said too quickly, my voice a little more defensive than I intended. "Just... stuff."

Boom and Aou exchanged a look, one that I couldn't quite place, before Boom shrugged. "You sure about that? You've been off lately. Every time we hang out, you're all distracted. And you keep checking your phone. What's going on with you, Sky?"

I swallowed hard. They could see it. I couldn't hide it. "I'm okay, really," I said, trying to brush them off. "It's nothing."

Aou, who knew me better than most, didn't look convinced. He leaned in a little closer, his voice softer. "If it's about Nani, you should talk about it, Sky. You're not fooling anyone."

I felt a sharp pang in my chest at the mention of Nani's name. I didn't know how to explain any of this. I didn't know how to explain what had happened, or why I felt this overwhelming sense of guilt and longing.

The class seemed to stretch on forever, the professor's voice fading in and out as I kept trying to focus, but my mind kept drifting back to Nani. I could still hear his voice from last night, the way he'd said my name, the way he had looked at me.

Aou and Boom gave up on me after a while, falling back into their own conversation, but I couldn't stop thinking about Nani. Why hadn't he replied to me? Was he angry? Did he think I had used him?

The bell finally rang, signaling the end of class, and I stood up too quickly, shoving my things into my bag. I could feel Boom and Aou's eyes on me as I made my way toward the door.

"Sky!" Aou called after me, his voice tinged with concern. "Don't be so hard on yourself, okay?"

I turned back, giving him a half-hearted smile. "I'm alright," I said, though I wasn't sure I believed it.

I walked out of the classroom, my mind still a storm of thoughts. What the hell was going on with me? Why couldn't I just focus on anything anymore?

I pulled out my phone, once again trying to call Nani. But it went straight to voicemail.

"Come on, Nani," I muttered under my breath, my heart aching.

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I sat down at the cafeteria table, my tray in front of me but barely touched. My eyes were glued to my phone, as usual. I had sent another message to Nani, hoping for a reply, but there was still nothing. It was already well into the afternoon, and he hadn't even looked at my texts. It was starting to feel like he was avoiding me, but why?

I couldn't stop the constant churn of thoughts in my head, wondering what went wrong. Was I the one who messed up last night? Did he regret it? Did I? I had no answers.

I didn't even notice Joong and Perth approach until I heard their voices.

"Sky!" Joong called out with his usual grin, his presence bringing a small, automatic smile to my face despite everything. "What's up, man?"

I looked up at them as they took their seats, giving them a small, distracted wave. "Hey, guys."

Perth gave me a look as he sat down, clearly aware of my mood. "Still on your phone?" he asked lightly, but there was concern in his voice. "You sure everything's alright?"

I nodded quickly, shoving my phone into my pocket. "Yeah, great. Just... busy."

Joong raised an eyebrow, but before he could comment, I caught a glimpse of someone moving toward the table. I looked up to see Nani walking in with Dew and Win, looking as composed as always. He hadn't noticed me yet, too caught up in conversation with the two of them, but the moment he stepped closer to the table, my heart skipped a beat.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to say something, but my mind was racing too fast, unsure of how to approach him. What was I supposed to say after last night? After everything?

As if on cue, Nani finally turned to face me, and his eyes locked with mine. I could feel the weight of his gaze, his expression unreadable. Without a word, he stepped closer, his movements slow but deliberate.

"Hey, Sky," Nani said, his voice steady. He didn't sound mad, or awkward, but it still felt like something was off.

"Hey, Nani," I said back, trying to sound casual, but failing miserably. My heart was pounding in my chest. I couldn't help but think about the kiss from last night. Was he thinking about it too?

He sat down beside me without hesitation, making it clear that the others weren't planning to break up the little moment between us.

The others started talking, their voices blending into the background as I focused on Nani. I wanted to ask him about last night, wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come out. Instead, I found myself watching him closely, noticing the subtle way he shifted in his seat, as if he wasn't entirely comfortable. His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his sleeve, and his eyes darted away from mine, but just for a moment, before meeting them again.

I cleared my throat, trying to break the tension, but my voice came out too low. "You good? Haven't heard from you."

Nani looked at me for a moment, his gaze flickering toward my face before he glanced away. "Yeah. I was occupied and forgot to tell you," he replied, his words short, but I could tell he was holding something back.

My heart tightened at his words. Was he lying? Or was he just not ready to talk about it? I wanted to ask more, to push, but I held back. I wasn't sure what I'd even say.

I was about to say something when I felt Dew's gaze land on me, sharp and observant, as usual. He wasn't saying anything, but the way he looked at me made it clear he knew something was up. I quickly turned back to Nani, trying to ignore the tension growing between us. But it was there, hanging in the air, thick and suffocating. And I wasn't sure how to make it go away.

The silence between us was awkward, and the quiet chatter from the others seemed to only emphasize the distance that had suddenly opened up between Nani and me. I wanted to reach out, to make this feel like it used to, but I didn't know how. Would he even want that? Would he want to go back to normal after everything that happened?

And then, for the first time since last night, I remembered the kiss. The way Nani's lips felt, the way his breath had stuttered against mine, as if he wasn't sure either. Was it something we both needed? Or was it something we were both trying to forget?

I glanced over at Dew again, who was still watching us with a sharp, knowing look. He didn't say anything more, but I could tell he was waiting for me to say something, anything. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face what that would mean.

The others kept talking, but all I could think about was Nani, and the uncomfortable silence that lingered between us, as if neither of us was sure how to take the next step.