The following morning, Racheal sat quietly at the back of the lecture hall, her pen moving absentmindedly across her notebook. The words and diagrams on the board blurred in her vision, her mind too restless to focus. Every time she blinked, she could still see the way Declan's friends had teased them yesterday—the knowing smiles, the playful jabs.
Her cheeks warmed at the memory, but the embarrassment was quickly swallowed by unease. She didn't want to be seen as just another girl following Declan around. Rumors had always found ways to cling to her, and the last thing she needed was more whispers circulating the campus.
So, when the class ended and she noticed Declan waiting near the doorway, Racheal's steps faltered. His eyes found hers instantly, and something inside her chest tightened. She turned away, pretending not to see him, and slipped into the crowd of students exiting the hall.
Declan frowned. "Racheal."
She kept walking, her pulse quickening.
"Are you seriously avoiding me now?" His voice was calm but carried enough edge to make her pause.
Slowly, she turned. Declan stood only a few feet away, his bag slung over one shoulder, his gaze fixed firmly on her. For a moment, the bustling noise of the students around them faded.
"I'm not avoiding you," she muttered, her eyes darting anywhere but his.
"You are," he said simply, stepping closer. "You've been running off since morning. Did I do something wrong?"
Before Racheal could respond, Gideon and the other friend appeared behind him. Gideon, as usual, couldn't resist adding fuel.
"Oooh, look at this," Gideon grinned. "Our boy Declan chasing after a girl for once? Should we be worried?"
"Worried?" the other friend laughed. "No, we should be celebrating! It's a miracle."
Declan shot them both a sharp look, but they only raised their hands innocently, clearly enjoying themselves.
Racheal's face turned crimson. "I—I should go," she whispered, gripping her books tighter.
Declan's jaw tightened, but he didn't stop her this time. He watched her retreat through the corridor until she disappeared from sight. His friends chuckled beside him, but Declan wasn't smiling.
"Enough," he said flatly.
Gideon exchanged a look with the other friend, the teasing grins fading. For once, they noticed the seriousness in Declan's tone—the frustration in his eyes.
They hadn't expected their little jokes to cut this deep.
As Declan slung his bag higher on his shoulder and walked off without another word, Gideon muttered under his breath, "Well, well… looks like this isn't just some crush. He's really into her."
The other friend nodded slowly, watching Declan's retreating figure. "Yeah. And if we're not careful, we might end up pushing her further away from him."
...............
That evening, Racheal returned to her hostel earlier than usual. She had tried to bury herself in assignments and notes, but nothing worked. Her mind kept circling back to Declan—his sharp tone, his unreadable expression, and most of all, the way his eyes had softened for just a split second before she walked away.
She sighed, tossing her pen aside and sinking back into her bed. Why is he making this so hard?
A knock at her door startled her.
When she opened it, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest. Declan stood there, leaning casually against the frame, but his eyes were far from casual.
"You didn't think I'd let you keep avoiding me, did you?" His voice was calm, but it carried that same edge from earlier—firm, unyielding.
"Declan—what are you doing here?" she whispered, glancing nervously down the hallway.
"I came to talk," he said simply.
She hesitated, her instincts screaming to close the door and put distance between them. But something in his gaze held her still. After a long pause, she stepped aside and let him in.
Declan dropped his bag onto the chair and turned to face her. "Racheal, if my friends said something that made you uncomfortable, I'll deal with them. But stop shutting me out. I don't like it."
Her chest tightened. "It's not about them… it's about me. About how people see me. I don't want to be another joke, Declan."
For a moment, silence filled the room, broken only by the faint hum of traffic outside. Then Declan stepped closer, his eyes locked on hers.
"You're not a joke," he said firmly. "Not to me. You never were."
Her lips parted, but no words came out. The sincerity in his voice made her pulse race.
Declan exhaled softly, running a hand through his hair. "Look, maybe I've been too quiet about this, maybe I've let them tease because it was easier than admitting the truth. But the truth is,I don't want to avoid you. I don't want you to avoid me either."
The words lingered between them, heavy yet undeniable.
Racheal swallowed hard, her heart thudding in her ears. For once, she didn't know what to write in her diary later.