Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing close to avoid the drizzle. The move startled even herself, but she didn't pull back.
Ren froze for half a second, his heartbeat spiking, before his free arm tightened ever so slightly around her shoulders, drawing her nearer. "Well," he murmured, voice lower now, "this is one way to stay dry."
Noelle's cheek brushed against his chest and she felt the steady thump of his heart beneath his shirt. She clung tighter, half to hide her flushed face, half because it felt right.
Ren glanced down, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Careful, Noelle. Hold me any tighter and people are gonna think you're trying to feel up my abs again."
Her face went hot instantly and she shoved at him lightly. "Ren!" she hissed, mortified. "I wasn't—!"
His low laugh rumbled through his chest, teasing but warm. Before she could pull away, his arm tightened around her shoulders, steadying her under the jacket. His smile softened, the mischief fading from his eyes.
"But… I like it," he said quietly, almost as if it slipped out before he could stop himself. His thumb brushed over her shoulder without him thinking. "I like you… like this."
By the time Noelle got home, her hair was still damp at the ends and her pulse had yet to calm down. She shut her bedroom door, dropped her bag on the chair, and collapsed onto her bed with a muffled groan, burying her face in her pillow.
Her phone buzzed. Once. Twice. Then, a third time, longer. Mei Ling.
Noelle sighed, picked up the phone, and answered. "What?"
Mei Ling's voice was steady but laced with curiosity. "Don't 'what' me. You were with him, weren't you? Tell me what happened."
Noelle turned onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "We just… walked home. It started drizzling, so he held his jacket over us."
"And?" Mei Ling pressed gently, her tone calm but expectant.
Noelle hesitated, then whispered, "He said he liked it. Being with me. Like that."
There was a pause, and Mei Ling let out a soft laugh. "That's… actually really sweet."
Noelle's face burned. "I—my heart's still racing."
"I can tell," Mei Ling replied knowingly. "You're smitten. He probably is too. I'll let you have tonight, but tomorrow, I want the full story. Every detail! Even those you are embarrassed to share."
Noelle groaned and hid her face with her free hand, but a small smile crept out anyway. "You're relentless."
"I'm your friend," Mei Ling said warmly. "Of course I want to know. Get some sleep, Noelle. You're glowing even through the phone."
When the call ended, Noelle dropped the phone on her chest and exhaled shakily. Her cheeks still burned, but the smile wouldn't leave her lips.
Noelle was still replaying Ren's words in her head when her phone buzzed against her pillow. She reached for it, expecting Mei Ling's name to pop up on the screen, but it wasn't her. It was Fiona.
Hey, how are you doing?
Noelle blinked, surprised, and typed back a quick reply. I'm good. Just tired form being out all day. You?
The response came fast. I'm okay. Just thought I should let you know that I've bumped into Han. Han came back over the weekend as he's on his summer break. Did he contact you?
Noelle froze. Her throat tightened as she read on.
We just chatted a bit and hung out. Talked about you so I wondered.
For a moment, the room seemed to close in around her. A sharp pain cut through her chest, raw and unexpected. The message from Fiona had left her reeling, each word like a jab she hadn't expected. Han had come back over the weekend, even if only briefly. They had chatted, hung out, and yet… he hadn't reached out to her. He hadn't asked for her number, hadn't included her in anything beyond casual conversation. Noelle's chest tightened at the thought. She had always known, in the quiet corners of her heart, that she was just a gap filler in his life, never the main event.
Han is back but she had to hear it from someone else. All the nights under the stars talking about their inner thoughts had been nothing but merely counselling sessions for him.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she set the phone down. Han hadn't even asked for her number, not once since he left. That truth hit harder than Fiona's words, a bitter confirmation of what she had quietly feared all along.
The revelation left her hollow, like something had been scooped out of her and left behind. A gaping wound she didn't know how to close.
And yet, almost against her will, her thoughts drifted to Ren. To the way he had looked at her that afternoon, as if she was the only one in the world. To the warmth of his hand covering hers on the bus, the quiet steadiness in his presence.
The comparison twisted inside her, guilt curling in her chest. Was it wrong to feel safe with Ren when a part of her still ached over Han? Was it too soon to let herself lean into this new closeness when her heart was still bruised from the old one?
Noelle buried her face into her pillow, torn between the sting of what Han had never given her and the tender promise of what Ren already had.
And still, despite everything her mind screamed, her heart betrayed her. She wanted him. She wanted Han. Wanted him more than she wanted anything rational. The ache of longing settled into her chest, stubborn and raw.
Then, almost guiltily, her thoughts wandered to Ren. His hand on hers, steady and warm. His quiet teasing. The way he made her laugh and feel at ease, like she could just exist and be herself. It was comforting, grounding but it wasn't Han. She hasn't felt the fireworks that made her pulse race, the way Han's mere presence could twist her stomach into knots.
Her heart felt like it was split in two. The part that knew Ren was good for her, safe and kind, and the part that refused to let go of Han, no matter how unfair or fleeting he had been.
As tears started streaming down her face, her hands clutching at the sheets as if she could hold herself together. She knew what her brain wanted her to do, what made sense. But her heart… her heart had its own stubborn plans.
The next few weeks slipped by in a strange, bittersweet rhythm. Days spent with Ren were bright and lighthearted; he made her laugh, teased her gently and seemed to know exactly how to put her at ease. He was attentive, warm, and unapologetically himself. Every text, every shared smile, every casual touch sent tiny jolts of happiness through her that she hadn't realised she craved.
And yet, in quiet moments alone in her room, on the walks home or when she caught a familiar sight, all her thoughts drifted to Han. That ache in her chest refused to dissipate. She remembered his laugh, the way his eyes held her gaze and the magnetic pull that always seemed to linger, even after months apart.
Noelle found herself asking questions she couldn't answer: Was it possible to love two people at once? Could her heart hold both the steady warmth of Ren and the lingering, painful fire of Han?
Each day with Ren was joyful, yet tinged with an undercurrent of guilt and confusion. She wanted to be fully present with him, to let herself enjoy the simple happiness he offered, but she couldn't shake the pull of what she had felt with Han. The tension simmered quietly, shaping her smiles and silences. Fiona hasn't messaged her after that day but her mood hasn't improved. Even Ren, perceptive as he was, occasionally caught glimpses of the storm beneath her laughter.
Ren noticed the small transitions, the little pauses in her laughter; he had felt a shift in the air, a change in Noelle's demeanour recently but he was sure what triggered it. He didn't press; he knew better than to demand explanations or force her into confessions. But it made him restless, curious, protective all at once.
One afternoon, as they walked home from school, he fell into step beside her, letting the silence stretch just long enough to see if she would fill it. When she didn't, he nudged her lightly with his shoulder, just enough to make her glance at him.
"You've been different lately," he said casually, though his tone carried the weight of someone paying careful attention.
Noelle gave a small, distracted laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just… thinking."