It started on a Tuesday.
The weather was quiet—overcast, gentle wind, the kind that whispered instead of screamed. Leo liked days like this. No glaring sun, no sudden rain. Just calm.
Between classes, he slipped into the library. Not for studying. Not even for peace.
For Aira.
She had sent him a message the night before.
> [ 9:14 PM ] Aira: …Can I talk to you? Alone, maybe. Just for a bit. No pressure.
Leo wasn't the kind of person to say no to someone like that.
He found her in her usual spot—corner seat, back row, by the tall window with the potted ivy. She wasn't sketching today. Just sitting, her hands loosely folded over a closed notebook.
"Aira."
She looked up and offered a small smile. "Hey."
Leo slid into the seat across from her.
A moment of silence. The faint sound of pages turning from nearby tables.
Then she spoke.
"I heard you and Yuki are… together now."
Leo nodded slowly. "Yeah. Since last weekend."
Aira bit her lip. "She's nice. Bright. It makes sense."
Leo frowned slightly. "But?"
Aira hesitated. "But I still wanted to tell you something."
Leo said nothing. Waited.
Aira looked out the window, her fingers tightening around the notebook.
"Back when you first transferred… I was scared of talking to anyone. Everyone knew each other, and I felt invisible. But then there was you. Sitting alone. Looking a little lost, but calm."
She looked back at him.
"You made me feel like maybe it was okay to exist quietly."
Leo blinked.
"I don't want to ruin anything," Aira said quickly. "I just… I had to say it. Even if it's late."
"…Thank you," Leo said, voice low. "For trusting me with that."
Aira nodded, clearly holding something else back—but didn't push.
They parted with a quiet goodbye. No touching. No promises.
Just honesty.
---
What Leo didn't expect was who saw them.
Yuki.
She wasn't spying—not intentionally. She had been walking past the library's glass wall when she saw Leo sitting across from Aira, leaning forward, face unreadable.
And Aira… looking at him like he was the sun breaking through clouds.
Yuki froze for a moment.
Then turned and walked away.
---
That afternoon, Leo noticed her shift.
She was still smiling. Still chatting.
But there was a delay in her laughter.
A pause before replying.
And when he mentioned "library," her smile faltered—just slightly.
He didn't press.
Not yet.
---
The days passed. Wednesday turned to Thursday.
Yuki began walking home with her friends more often.
She texted Leo a bit less. No good morning, no goodnight.
It wasn't coldness. It was distance.
And Leo could feel it.
He replayed his conversation with Aira in his head more than once. There had been no flirting. No promises. Just truth. But to someone watching from the outside… it could have looked like something else.
And Yuki wasn't the type to accuse. She was the type to silently wonder, alone.
---
By Friday, Leo couldn't take it anymore.
He found her after class, outside the gym. The sky had started to drizzle, misting the pavement. Yuki was standing under a covered walkway, tying her hair up.
"Yuki."
She looked up. Her eyes were calm—but tired.
"Hey."
Leo stepped closer.
"Something's wrong," he said. "I don't want to guess anymore."
She looked at him for a long moment.
Then spoke.
"You and Aira. In the library."
Leo nodded. "She asked to talk. It wasn't anything more than that."
"…I know," Yuki said softly.
Leo blinked. "You do?"
"I trust you. But I don't trust my own feelings sometimes."
She looked away.
"I've always been loud, you know? Energetic. The center of attention. But that also means I notice when someone's eyes… drift."
Leo took a breath. Then, carefully, reached for her hand.
"I'm not drifting," he said. "Not from you."
Yuki stared at his hand, then slowly entwined her fingers with his.
"…Okay."
They stood there in silence as the drizzle thickened around them.
Not everything was fixed. But something real was mended.
And that mattered.