The week goes by in the same blur as it always did, classes, jeepneys rides, coffee cram sessions, and Mira's endless chatter abouts the latest drama she was obsessed with.
For most people, it was just the usual day. But for Yna, everything felt... different.
It wasn't the exam or the projects piling up. It was the little things, the weird coincidences that had been following her around since that night when wished on the stars.
Like in Tuesday morning, when she was running late again and prayed under her breath, please, just please, let the professor be late too.
And as she stumbled into the classroom expecting a glare, only to find half the class still loitering outside because the professor had been caught in traffic.
Or Wednesday, when she tripped on the uneven sidewalk near the campus gate and braced herself to fall flat on her face but then she didn't. Something, or maybe someone, stedied her just in time. She looked around, confused , but the street had oddly empty.
And last night, when she sat again on her rooftop rambling to her favorite star about hor lonely she felt sometimes, she swore the wind shifted to warm, almost like an embrace.
Coincidence, she thought. It had to be. But her chest tightened every time she though about it.
"Earth to Yna?"
She blinked, snapped out of her thouhts. Mira was waving her hand in front of her face as they sat in the campus canteen.
"You've been staring into your food for five minutes," Mira said, squinting her eyes at her. "Don't tell me you're daydreaming about your star again."
Yna rolled he eyes, stabbing her fork into the rice. "It's not my star. It's just... Pretty."
"Pretty? You look at it every night like it's your crush."
Yna flushed. "It's not like that. I just... feel calm when I see it."
Mira leaned her chin on her hand and smirked.
"You know what that sound like? A crush."
"Shut up!" Yna muttered, but she smiled a little.
Classes ended early that Friday. Yna decided to walk home instead of taking the jeepney. The sun was dipping low, painting the sky with orange and pinks, and the air smelled faintly of grilled street food.
She fix her backpack strap higher and sighed. For once, it felt good to just... breath.
As she passed the campus gate, her steps faltered.
There, standing just outside the gate, was a man she'd never seen before.
He wasn't a student, he's too tall, too poised. His clothes didn't fit the usual street fashion either, he wore a plain white shirt, dark slacks, and a coat that looked a little too sleak, too polished, like it belonged to a different time or place.
He was just...standing there. Watching the student going out.
And for a moment - just a moment - his eyes met hers.
Yna's breath hitched.
They were sharp, almost otherworldly. Too light to be brown, too dark to be gray. She couldn't tell what color, only that they seemed to hold her in place.
Then a jeepney honked as it swerved past, and she blinked. And the man was gone.
She looked around, searching but nothing. Only students laughing, vendors calling out, the usual late afternoon chaos.
Her pulse raced. Was she imagined it?
"Okay," she muttered under her breath. "That was soo weird."
But as she walked home, the image lingered - the way he'd looked at her, like he know her.
That night, Yna climbed back onto her rooftop.
The city below was noisy, but up here it was just her and the stars again. She wrapped her blanket tight around her shoulders and tilted her head back, finding her brightest star instantly.
"You won't believe what happened today," she whispered. "I think... I think I saw someone. Not like, someone someone, but-," she paused, shaking her head. "Okay, I sound crazy. But it was strange. He looked at me like he recognized me. And then he dissapeared."
The star twinkled steadily above her.
"Do you think it's conected?" she asked softly. "All these... things happening lately? I don't know if I should be scared or..." she trailed off. "or excited."
Her chest felt tight. Because as much as it unsettled her, part of her wanted it to be real.
She lay back on the rooftop, staring up until her eyes grew heavy. Somewhere between wakefulness and sleep, she thought she saw a faint shimmer in the sky - like the star flaring just for her.
Saturday was supposed to be uneventful. Yna spent most of it helping her mom clean the house, running errands to the market, and catching up on her readings. By evening, she was exhausted.
She flooped onto her bed as she scroll mindlessly through her phone.
That's when a message popped up.
Unknown number: You shouldn't fall asleep on rooftop. It's not safe.
Yna froze.
Her heart hammered. No one knew about that. Not even Mira. She always climbed down before her parents noticed.
Her hands was trembling as she typed back, 'Who is this?'
The three dots appeared. Then vanished. No reply.
She stared at the screen for what felt like forever. Finally, she shoved the phone under her pillow, too rattled to respond.
But when she finally dared to peek out the window, the brightest star was glowing again.
And for the first time, instead of comfort, it made her shiver.
Sunday evening. Yna sat on the rooftop, her blanket tight around her, phone clutched in her hand. She kept checking it, half expecting another message. But nothing, no message at all.
The star burned above her, steady.
"I don't know who you are," she whispered, her voice trembling. "But it its you... watching me... why?"
The wind stirred, brushing hair across her face.
Yna closed her eyes. For a moment, she could almost felt it again, that invisible presence. Quiet. Patient. Waiting.
When she opened her eyes, her phone buzzed.
Unknown number: Because you asked if someone was watching back.
Her breath caught.
The phone slipped from her hand and clattered against the rooftop.
And up in the sky, the brightest star pulsed once, like a heartbeat.
---
K