Chapter 21 – The Gift Hunt
The dispersal bell rang, sharp and loud, echoing through the corridors like a release signal. The classrooms that were silent moments ago suddenly came alive—bags zipped, chairs scraped backward, laughter and tired groans mixed in the air.
Anaya stepped out calmly, adjusting the strap of her bag, her mind still half-stuck in the quiet of the classroom.
Then she saw Noah.
At first, she smiled.
Then she noticed he was running.
Running towards her.
Fast.
“Wait—” she muttered, confused.
Her smile faded as panic kicked in. She froze for half a second, then instinctively stepped back. One step. Two. Three.
Too late.
Noah tried to stop, but momentum had already betrayed him. He slipped slightly and slammed into the wall beside her with a solid thud, sliding down until he landed on the floor dramatically.
For a second, everything went silent.
Then—
“Oh my God!” Anaya rushed toward him. “I’m so sorry—are you okay?!”
Noah stayed still, staring at the ceiling as if contemplating life itself. Then slowly, very slowly, he lifted his hand and gave a thumbs-up.
“Still breathing,” he said.
She burst out laughing. “You’re unbelievable.”
She held out her hand. “Come on.”
He grabbed it and stood up, dusting his uniform. “Sorry… I got excited. And I scared you too.”
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She shook her head, still smiling. “It’s fine. That was kinda funny.”
He looked at her for a second, then suddenly remembered something important. “You remember we have to go today, right?”
She nodded without hesitation. “Yeah. I remember.”
He let out a long breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Thank God.”
They started walking toward the gate together.
“By the way,” Noah asked, trying to sound casual, “what time should I come?”
She thought for a moment. “Whenever you want. Just call me when you’re free.”
“Five?” he asked, careful, like the time itself might reject him.
“Five is fine.”
She turned to leave, but—
“Anaya!”
She turned back. “Hm?”
Noah hesitated. His confidence cracked just a little. “What if… what if she says no?”
Anaya didn’t answer immediately.
She walked back toward him, lifted her hand, and lightly hit the back of his head. “Dumbo.”
He blinked.
“You can’t change the past,” she said softly. “You don’t know the future. So why to worry about it now?”
He smiled slowly. “Of course. Luca 2.0.”
She laughed, hit him again, and walked away. “See you.”
---
At home, Noah couldn’t sit still.
He paced his room, sat down, stood up again, stared at the ceiling, then at his phone.
“What if the teddy is too childish?”
“What if chocolates are boring?”
“What if flowers feel too much?”
“What if she laughs?”
“What if she doesn’t?”
He groaned and flopped onto his bed. “Why is this so hard?”
---
Anaya reached home quietly. She changed out of her uniform and opened her wardrobe. Her eyes immediately fell on a familiar T-shirt.
I love Aurenfall.
She picked it up without thinking.
Her phone was already in her hand as she opened the gallery. Photos from the trip filled the screen—rainy streets, messy hotel rooms, laughter caught mid-moment. She smiled, laughed softly, and paused longer on group pictures.
After a bath and a change, she checked her phone.
No message.
She glanced at the time. 3:00 PM.
“Okay,” she said to herself. “Let’s clean.”
One task turned into another. Sweeping. Folding. Organizing. When she finally sat down “just for five minutes,” her eyes closed.
---
Her phone rang.
She jolted awake.
“Hello—?”
“I’ve been standing outside your house for fifteen minutes,” Noah said dramatically.
Her eyes widened. “WHAT? I’m so sorry—I fell asleep!”
He sighed. “Never mind. Just come.”
She rushed out with an umbrella. Noah stood there holding one too.
They began walking.
“Hey,” he said, suddenly. “Do you know her favorite color?”
She looked at him. “I met her a few days ago. You’ve known her longer.”
He sighed. “I have no idea.”
“Have you gone shopping with her?”
“Once. Maybe.”
“What did she buy?”
“Teddy bears. Chocolates. Food.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “She’s a foodie. But packed food would be awkward.”
“I’m doomed,” he muttered.
“Relax,” she said. “Let’s start with teddy bears.”
---
Inside the gift shop, Noah immediately grabbed a giant teddy bear.
“This one?”
She stared. “Girls don’t like monsters.”
He swapped it. “This?”
“No.”
“This?”
“No.”
She sighed. “Sit.”
She picked a medium-sized, fluffy white teddy bear. “This.”
Noah smiled like a kid. “It’s perfect.”
“See?” she said. “You’re just nervous.”
“Okay, Luca 2.0.”
---
At the chocolate shop, they tasted different ones.
“This,” Anaya said finally. “She likes slightly bitter chocolates.”
Noah sighed. “Girls are impossible.”
She glared. “Repeat that.”
“I TAKE IT BACK.”
They laughed.
At the flower shop, he reached for red roses.
She stopped him. “No.”
“Why?”
She explained calmly. “Red for love. White so she doesn’t slap you. Pink and yellow for friendship.”
Noah stared. “You saved my life.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome.”
---
They walked back under the rain, laughing, talking, umbrellas brushing.
“Thank you,” Noah said sincerely.
“For what?”
“For being here.”
She smiled. “That’s what friends do.”
And for the first time, Noah felt like—no matter the answer—this day already mattered.
