"Pleasure to make your acquaintance,"
"Everyone."
Both sides fell silent.
Anathasia slowly lifted her gaze, meeting theirs with a quiet smile that conveyed more than words ever could.
It wasn't until one of them spoke up, a guy who looked vaguely familiar. Maybe a former classmate. I didn't remember most of them anymore.
And that was the point of going to a university far away in the first place.
"Nice to meet you…" he hesitated, then glanced at me. Like he was asking for help escaping Anathasia's soul-piercing stare.
As gentle as her eyes appeared, there was nothing gentle about her presence right now.
When I didn't respond, the guy stepped back, letting someone else move forward.
Vincent.
Yeah. I remembered him.
Confident. Self-assured. Approachable, in his own way. Class president for six straight years back in elementary school. One of the few people who had treated me decently.
I didn't hold anything against him.
He smiled, lifting a hand in a small wave.
"Hey, Kyle," he said. "I heard you went to NSGU. I actually planned on going there myself."
He paused.
"But either way… I hope you're doing alright over there."
I nodded, slowly pushing myself to my feet.
"Yeah. You too," I smiled, just for courtesy.
"I'm guessing you guys wanted to take a dip too?" I added, trying to make small talk.
His smile turned slightly crooked. He glanced back at the group, then at Anathasia. Who had crossed her arms loosely over her chest, before looking back at me.
"Yeah," he said. "It's weirdly hot today, and everyone in the group chat agreed to go for a swim."
My gaze skimmed over them.
Almost everyone was there.
As expected.
"At least they're still close," I thought.
"I see…" My smile tightened. Not enough for them to notice.
But enough for Anathasia.
Vincent hesitated, probably realizing that mentioning the group chat hadn't helped. He opened his mouth to say something—
But someone else stepped forward first.
"Anyway~ we'll get going then," one of the girls said, waving lightly. "See ya, Kyle."
Her eyes flicked to Anathasia. Sharp.
"And Miss Girlfriend," she added. "Anathasia, was it? A pretty name."
Then they left.
Vincent waved, his expression apologetic.
James followed without another word.
Leah walked last.
She didn't look back.
After they left, Anathasia let out a long sigh.
Behind us, the rocks in the river shattered silently.
No sound.
As if the space itself had swallowed the impact.
"I wanted to tear them apart so badly…" she murmured, raising a hand before clenching it into a fist.
"You know?" she continued.
"Not complete erasure… just slow. And steady…"
She paused.
Her smile widened, then stilled.
"…Until they beg."
Her fingers trembled.
She lowered her hand.
I stilled, unconsciously biting my lip as I watched the space around Anathasia begin to crack.
I moved without thinking, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.
She turned, meeting my eyes as I slowly shook my head.
The air around her unwound. Her shoulders sagged as she let out another long sigh.
"I understand…" she murmured.
She turned fully toward me, her earlier smile gone. Replaced with something softer. Human.
Her hands rose to cup my cheeks.
"I won't actually do it," she said quietly.
"Okay?"
I nodded, placing a hand over hers, my gaze locked with her own.
Except, in my peripheral, I noticed some of them still hadn't left.
"…Do they not understand how privacy works?" she muttered.
She'd noticed too.
With a snap of her fingers, the two vaguely familiar girls turned and walked away, their movements strangely vacant, almost like they were—
"Hypnotized? Something like that," Anathasia cut in.
…Casually reading my mind again.
After they were gone, and she confirmed no one else was nearby, Anathasia turned toward the river.
Splash
Cold water hit my shirt as she laughed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Well?" she said.
"Fight back, will you?"
I gently shook my head, a small chuckle escaping my lips. I followed her into the shallows before splashing her back. Just like that, hours slipped by without me noticing. The sun already setting the moment I caught wind of the time.
"Ah, it's almost dark," I whispered, glancing at the sky before turning to her, when suddenly—
!?
Her lips pressed against mine. Soft, brief.
She pulled away a second later, just as gasps rose from the group upstream, catching us still standing in the shallows.
Their eyes went wide, as expected. Even I was surprised. Leah stayed behind some people in the group, but it was clear that she felt uncomfortable seeing what just unfolded. Vincent and the others were also speechless while Anathasia looked… almost smug, in a way.
Then she chuckled, her demeanor completely turning innocent.
"Gosh… it seems like we got caught, how embarrassing…" Anathasia said softly, bashfully tracing her lower lip as she shot a sharp glare at the girl who'd poked at her earlier.
She's… incredibly petty…! Not that I didn't know—
Still smiling, she secretly pinched my side, whispering.
"I am NOT petty, I was making a point."
Vincent spoke up first after:
"Right… sorry, looks like we came at the wrong time," he forced a smile, before signaling for everyone else in the group to go.
He glanced back at us, gently rubbing his temple.
"We'll be going first then, take care you two!" he turned away, following behind the group while Leah stood there, eyes wide. She bit on her lower lip, I could see the tightness of her jaw before she turned away.
Did she want to say something…?
"Anyway, we should go back as well, shouldn't we?" Anathasia suddenly cut in, her hands behind her back, and for some reason, we weren't in the shallows anymore… I'm not exactly surprised though, knowing her.
"Alright, let's go home then." I reached over to pat her head, the loose shirt and sweatpants she'd borrowed from me earlier manifesting back on her.
---
A certain girl lay curled on her bed, tears soaking into fabric of the shirt of a boy she had cared about once, and still did.
"I only wanted him to notice me…" the girl sobbed, burying her face on the shirt Kyle had given her as a present years back. "I was young and stupid…"
---
In Kyle's bedroom, at his parents' house.
After dinner, I immediately went back to my room and just lay there. Stomach far too full.
"Ugh… I ate too much…"
The bed suddenly shifted as if someone had sat on the edge. I turned, only to see Anathasia there with my phone in her hand.
"Hey,"
"Hm?"
"Isn't that mine?"
"Which one?" she smiled, holding up her phone with scrolling through mine with her other hand.
"Woman, that's my phone…"
"Yes, and?"
"That's a breach of privacy," I shot back, my brows furrowing. "Besides, why go through my phone?"
"Incase you're cheating."
My expression immediately flattened, half annoyed and half exasperated.
"You of all people would know. I'm not stupid enough to cheat on someone like you, nor do I want to."
She fell silent, looking at me like she'd just won at something with that usual self-assured expression on her face.
"Oh well, here," she shrugged, giving back my phone before settling beside me, the bed sinking slightly under the weight.
I sighed, shaking my head as I scrolled through my feed while casually using her stomach as my pillow. But after a while—
One headline made my thumb stop.
> Auclait, Fuyukawa, and Li Heiresses Announce Joint Business Expansion into the Philippines
I frowned slightly, tapping it without thinking.
A familiar name caught my eye.
'Arianne Auclait'
I paused, reading through the article and mindlessly scrolling down. Only to find nothing too important, so I brushed it off.
Over my head, Anathasia just continued playing on her phone, not moving an inch as she just allowed me to use her belly as my pillow.