Waksi stood at the door, his cold and aloof demeanor unchanged, but his posture was tense as he held the tall man's shoulder with fiery eyes. His usual indifference was replaced by something else—something more intense. The guy, clearly taken aback by Waksi's sudden intervention, opened his mouth to say something, but Waksi cut him off, his voice low and dangerous.
"I said back off!" Waksi repeated, stepping closer, his body language firm, signaling that he wasn't going to back down. "She's not interested, and I don't like anyone bothering her."
The man hesitated, glancing between Waksi and the girl, his expression flickering with uncertainty. For a moment, it seemed like he might argue, but his eyes narrowed, as though he recognized who Waksi was or realized he was outmatched. Without another word, he backed off, his friends muttering under their breath as they followed him out.
The girl let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, Silvia's heart still racing but feeling a surge of relief. Waksi turned to her, his face unreadable, but his voice softer than she expected.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his eyes searching hers. There was a strange vulnerability in them, like he was looking for something he wasn't sure he would find.
She nodded quickly, trying to shake off the anxiety that lingered. "Yeah, thanks to you."
But just as she thought the worst was over, Waksi's expression hardened again, the anger in his eyes returning with an even sharper edge.
"What the hell were you thinking? Why are you sitting out here alone, instead of enjoying the movie like we were supposed to? Do you have any idea what could've happened?"
She swallowed, unsure of how to respond. She could feel the weight of his anger, but there was something else tangled in it, something she couldn't quite put into words. "I'm sorry. My father called, and I needed to answer. I didn't mean to."
Waksi's voice cut through her apology. "Cut off your excuses! I saw you go out earlier, and it's been more than half an hour since you've been sitting here alone. I saw you playing with your phone after answering your father's call. You really don't want to go back inside the theater, do you?"
She didn't answer right away, her voice trapped by fear. He was staring at her intently, his eyebrows furrowed as he waited for her to respond.
As she stood there, her pulse starting to return to normal, a new unease settled in. Why had he helped her? Was it because of his father's expectations, because of the necklace around his neck? Or was there something else at play? His behavior was a mystery to her. Was he simply doing what was expected of him, or did he actually care?
"Screw it, let's end today's date right now. I can't afford to continue anymore." Waksi said with a heavy breath.
"But the movie isn't finished yet. There's still an hour left," Silvia protested.
"I don't care anymore. I just want to get as far away from you as possible. I can't keep pretending to enjoy this day with you."
Waksi's anger remained as he led her away from the theater to the parking lot. The silence between them was thick and uncomfortable. She glanced at him, wondering if she had seen a flicker of something vulnerable in his eyes, but it was quickly hidden behind his cold mask.
Silvia couldn't shake the feeling that she was just another obligation to him—someone he had to tolerate because of his father's demands. The thought made her chest tighten. She wanted to ask him about his behavior, about why he was so cold and indifferent, but she was too scared to hear the answer.
For now, she had no choice but to follow along as he took her home. As expected, the date was a disaster. At least there was one small victory: Jessey had been humiliated in front of everyone, and her precious hat had been ruined. Even though the date was a mess, Silvia could take some comfort in that.
Waksi drove her home, clearly relieved to be done with the day, and she felt the same. The door creaked as she stepped inside her house, the familiar scent of home greeting her like a soft balm against the chaos of the day. Kicking off her shoes, she felt the weight of exhaustion settle into her bones. Despite everything, the date had left her more confused than ever.
As she entered the kitchen, her father's voice called from the other room, sharp as usual.
"Silvia, you're back. How was the date?"
Silvia paused, her hand on the doorframe. She wasn't sure how to respond. Her father rarely asked about her day, and when he did, it was usually with a pointed question. But tonight, there was an odd curiosity in his voice, as though he already knew the answer but wanted to hear it from her.
"Well," she said, walking into the kitchen, "it was exactly how I expected."
Her father looked up from his cup of coffee, his eyes glinting with amusement, a slight smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "Exactly, huh?"
Silvia nodded, unsure how to react. "Yeah, it was a total mess. We didn't even make it through the movie. Waksi, he wasn't really into it. He kind of stormed off halfway through. The whole thing felt off."
Her father chuckled softly, his amusement genuine for the first time in a while. "Well, I'm glad to hear it went exactly as planned."
Silvia blinked, caught off guard. "Wait, what do you mean? You wanted it to go badly?"
He leaned back in his chair, setting his coffee down slowly. The words that followed felt rehearsed, as if he had been waiting for this moment.
"You forgot our original plan? I didn't want you to get attached to him, Silvia. I want you to break up with him as soon as possible, so I can own Waksi's father's company."
Her words caught in her throat as she stared at him, stunned. Was this what he had been hoping for? Had he been waiting for the date to go wrong?
"So this is what you wanted from me all along? To make a mess of things in front of Waksi?"
He raised an eyebrow, his expression softening slightly. "You don't have to. You're an expert at messing things up. Just be yourself. I never wanted you to get caught up in something for the wrong reasons. I know your relationship with Waksi won't last. One of you will definitely hurt the other, and I don't want that to be you. I want you to be the one who hurts Waksi."
Her mind reeled as she tried to process what he had said. If only he knew what Waksi had done to her, both physically and mentally.
"Then you're not mad at me for how it turned out?" she asked, her confusion deepening.
"Mad? No, no. In fact, I'm proud of you. You didn't try to force something that wasn't there. I was waiting for you to realize it."
Silvia stood there for a moment, completely thrown by her father's words. A strange, warm feeling bubbled up in her chest, and despite herself, she felt a sense of relief at his approval. For the first time, he seemed genuinely satisfied with how she handled the situation. And in that moment, she realized that to gain his approval, she didn't have to be the perfect, obedient daughter. She just needed to be the "bad girl"—the one who pushed back, the one who didn't settle, even if it meant making a mess.
"Thanks, Dad," she muttered, "I guess that's something."
"Of course. Now go get some rest. You've earned it." Said the father.
The following Sunday dragged on in a blur. The satisfaction she had felt from her father's approval quickly faded, replaced by a spiral of thoughts about the date. Waksi's cold demeanor, Jessey's humiliation, the awkward silence between them—it all played over and over in her mind. What was his deal? Why had he helped her in the theater? Was it just because of his father's expectations, or was there something more to it?
The questions kept her up all night. She thought she would get used to his aloofness, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. By Monday, she had barely slept. Her head was spinning, and when the doorbell rang, her heart skipped a beat.
She opened the door to find Waksi standing there, looking disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes. His usual cold mask was in place, but she could tell he had barely slept.
"Good morning, my girlfriend," he greeted, his voice raspy.
She blinked, taken aback. "Waksi, are you okay? You look like you've been run over by a truck."
He winced slightly but quickly straightened up. "I'm fine. After our date yesterday, I was bombarded with questions from my father. And then all the staff at home. I barely slept."
She sighed, almost laughing. "I feel your pain."
"Yeah, whatever. Come hop in. We're almost late for class."
"You won't drop me off in the middle of the road again like last time, will you?" she asked, fully aware of his past behavior.
Waksi showed her a pendant—a gold one similar to the one he wore during their date. "I plan to do that. But my father made me wear this now. Anywhere, anytime."
She smirked. "So your father forced you to wear that even at college?"
He sighed dramatically. "Can we please just go? You're killing me with these questions."
She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Fine. Let's go to campus."
When they arrived at the university, she saw a strange sight—a girl crying on the ground, two friends trying to console her. When she looked closer, she realized it was Jessey. What had happened to her?