Chapter 4 — Whispers & Quiet Decisions

  Morning arrived with noise.

  Not the comforting kind Luca liked—the rain-on-glass kind—but voices. Too many of them. Low murmurs stitched together with curiosity, laughter, and poorly hidden excitement.

  “They held hands, I swear.”

  “Second day, bro.”

  “Silent guy pulled the new girl.”

  “Did you see her sit with him again?”

  Luca sat by the window as usual, posture relaxed, gaze distant. Anaya sat beside him, flipping through her notebook—but her fingers were still, her focus scattered.

  She leaned slightly toward him.

  “People are… talking about us,” she whispered.

  Luca didn’t look away from the window. “They always do.”

  Her brows knit together. “Doesn’t it bother you?”

  He paused for a moment. Then, calmly, “It used to.”

  That was all.

  Before she could ask more, movement stirred across the classroom. A few girls from junior classes lingered near the door, whispering and glancing in Luca’s direction. From the other side, boys from different sections hovered, eyes fixed on Anaya.

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  The tension spread fast.

  One boy stepped forward, grinning. “So… are you two dating or what?”

  Another added, “Yeah, just tell us already.”

  Anaya opened her mouth—but Luca leaned in, his voice low, meant only for her.

  “Don’t reply.”

  She hesitated.

  The questions kept coming, overlapping, louder. Curiosity disguised as jokes.

  Without warning, Luca stood up.

  The room stilled.

  He reached down, took Anaya’s hand—not rushed, not dramatic—and gently pulled her to her feet. Gasps rippled through the class as he walked her past the desks, past the whispers, straight out the door.

  No explanation.

  Just silence behind them.

  They climbed the stairs to the terrace. The door closed, muting the school noise below. The sky above was heavy with clouds, the air cool and open.

  Anaya finally spoke. “Why didn’t you answer them?”

  Luca leaned against the railing, gaze steady. “Because wasting energy on rumors is pointless.”

  She turned to him. “But now they’ll talk more.”

  He nodded once. “They would’ve anyway. Whether it’s good or bad—it doesn’t change anything.”

  She studied him quietly. There was no arrogance in his voice. Just certainty.

  After a moment, he glanced at the time. “It’s 6:45. We should go back before a teacher notices.”

  She smiled faintly. “Okay.”

  They returned to class, hands no longer joined, but something unspoken still lingered between them.

  Not long after, their class teacher walked in.

  “Attention, everyone,” she announced. “For Friendship Day, the school is organizing a special competition.”

  Instant excitement.

  “This will be a pair activity—one boy and one girl. You may choose your partner yourselves. Names will be submitted later.”

  Whispers erupted again. The teacher raised a hand.

  “You can discuss this during lunch. For now, focus.”

  Lunch came—and chaos followed.

  Girls surrounded Luca.

  “Will you be my partner?”

  “Just for the competition!”

  Across the room, boys gathered around Anaya, confidence loud, smiles rehearsed.

  Both gave the same answer.

  “No.”

  When asked why, Luca replied calmly, “Already paired.”

  Anaya said the same—soft, but firm.

  By the end of lunch, rumors had only grown stronger.

  Yet when the classroom settled, neither of them had paired with anyone.

  Anaya leaned toward Luca, her voice barely audible.

  “So… you’re alone too?”

  He nodded.

  She hesitated for just a second. “Then… would you like to be my partner?”

  He met her eyes. There was no rush in his response. No confusion.

  “I wouldn’t mind.”

  Her lips curved into a small, satisfied smile.

  They didn’t announce it.

  They didn’t tell anyone.

  But the decision was made—quietly, between them.

  And somehow, that felt more real than anything spoken aloud.