Chapter 61

668 29 7
By CatInABox__

Wave closed the door behind them and led Aria to his area in the dorm room he shared with the rest of the Gifted boys.

He went straight to his table whilst she looked around the room. It had the same structure as the dorm room she shared with three more girls, only with more "girly" vibes; colourful bedsheets, patterned pillows, and an elegant curtain that one of her dormmates let them use. They even had different "bed designs". One of them even had fairy lights and polaroid pictures. That room was much simpler than theirs.

Wave slammed his bag on the bed next to his table so Aria let herself fall on it, thinking that the lower bunk was his. He put his jacket on the back of his chair and sat on it, sighing and catching his head with his hand.

Aria noticed it. She got up from lying and sat, folding her legs in a lotus form as she continued staring at Wave massaging his head.

"What's wrong?" she asked gently.

He turned his head to her and opened his mouth to answer, but she interrupted him before he could even utter a word.

"Don't even think of lying to me. You made a promise. You're not supposed to break it," Aria threatened.

Wave sighed. He couldn't break his promise. Even if promises were meant to be broken, he would strive not to break the one he made to her.

"I just... I don't want to tell everyone the truth. Punn has points, yes, but they'd hate us. They'd want to hurt us. They'd want us dead." Wave shook his head. "I don't want any of it happening to us, to you."

An adoring smile appeared on Aria's face. That was how much he cared about her? She wanted to melt just by thinking about it.

Wave sighed and shook his head once more.

She got up from her seat and went to the small fridge they had inside. She and her dormmates, too, had a small fridge like theirs, but unlike that one, they had many foods and drinks inside. Even a secret stash of alcohol that her dormmates did a great job of hiding. She didn't drink with them, nor did she tolerate it. Aria would tell them to keep them away, but they wouldn't listen. She resorted to telling the teachers, but they still managed to get away from it.

Aria looked inside to find one bottle of green tea with Pang's name on a note on it. She took the piece of paper off, put it on top of the fridge, went back to Wave, and gave it to him.

He was hesitant to take it at first, but he still accepted it and she went back to her seat.

"This is Pang's," he noted.

"I know, but you need it more than him. If he looks for it, tell me, I'll give him a box if he wants."

Wave shook his head, and drinks the contents of the bottle anyway.

"Don't bother about what people would think even just for a moment, okay? We both disagree with what the Ministry wants, we both don't want to see, hear, and feel the negative reactions, but also don't be stressed out by it too much. So much has happened today and the past few days so think of something else that'll distract you from the problem."

"Like?"

"Like, when do you plan on setting an appointment with my family?"

"That will do nothing but add to my stress." "And besides, you took me by surprise with all these dating and relationship talks."

Aria giggled, hearing not only his spoken words but also his thoughts unknown to him. But her little act put an upward curve on Wave's lips as soon as he heard it.

"What about this topic: I think I've found my limit?"

"What?"

"Mr Pom told us to find our limit, didn't he? I think I found mine."

"What's your limit then?" Wave asked before taking another gulp of the juice.

"I can hear the thoughts of those around me. Just like how can I hear yours." Aria flashed a teasing smile, silently telling Wave she heard what he thought of last.

"Hey! That's an invasion of privacy!" His face was as red as the tomato that Aria couldn't help but explode in laughter. "And it's unfair! People can't lie to you but they can to me."

"There are many ways you can do so no one can lie to you."

Once again, Wave grumbled and drank from the bottle. He put it down as soon as he was satisfied and played with it before voicing another opinion. "But I think, that's not your limit yet."

"Hmm? Why do you think so?"

"I believe you have a farther limit than just thoughts. I believe you can do more."

That made her smile; the fact that he believed in her just as she believed in him. Her right elbow rested on her lap and she rested her neck on her palm, her dreamy gaze on him. "Really? Like what?

"I don't know," Wave shrugged. "Hear memories, maybe."

Aria laughed. "That's too far yet."

Her cellphone rang all of a sudden. It was Sol, looking for her. The do not disturb mode had been turned off since the messages flooding her had stopped already. At the same time, she heard a familiar pair of footsteps; it was Pang.

Aria got up from sitting and took her bag. That act of hers caught Wave's attention. "I'm going to head out. Sol is looking for me."

Wave's face fell, and it was too clear for her not to see. That caused another round of laughter from her.

"Cheater!" he playfully yelled as she exited the room, erupting in another laugh.

"There's no cheating if there's no dating!"

"Then just you wait!"

Aria closed the door and walked towards Sol's room per his request. On her way, she met Pang, and he was too surprised to move, seeing her coming from their dorm room, hearing her joke with Wave, and a wide smile was plastered on her face.

He was even more dumbfounded when she smiled brightly at him. It was not that Aria wasn't doing that to him since they were close friends. But her smile was carefree. As if they bore no burden anymore unlike before.

Pang entered their room, still fazed by what he had just witnessed. He forgot that he and Wave still had a small feud because his mind wandered away from his head.

But he was even more astounded when he heard Wave sing his heart out with a huge smile like a dork. His earphones were plugged in his ears and a bottle of green tea was in his hand.

He did not intend to make any noise, but he still did. Wave heard it despite the volume of the music he was listening to and immediately took his earphones off and put the bottle back on the table, staring at Pang, who was smiling teasingly at him. He put away the earphones as if nothing had happened while his friend attempted not to keep his smile too wide.

Wave masked his embarrassment with a stone facade and glare. "I thought you were dead."

"I thought you were still mad at me."

"Who told you I wasn't anymore?"

"You cannot be mad at me while drinking my green tea."

Wave rethought his actions first, looking back and forth between Pang and the bottle. "Aria made me. I won't even drink it if she didn't tell me to."

"I'll take that back then."

"No."

Pang took the bottle, but Wave took it before he could, that was why the bottle cap was the only thing he managed to have in his hand while his friend straightly drank his juice.

"Aria said if you want it back, she'll give you a box."

He chuckled in disbelief at all the events that had been happening. But Wave did not care. He took his earphones back, put them in his ears, and continued listening to the song that Pang interrupted.

He took the other bud of the earphone off his friend's ear and put it on his instead as he sat at the table. Wave was about to complain, but decided to let him be.

"Are you two cool now?" Pang asked, pertaining to him and Aria.

It was a stupid question considering everything that he witnessed in a span of five minutes; Aria and Wave yelling at each other playfully, Aria's wide and untroubled smile, Wave singing as if he's on cloud nine, and the amount of time Wave spoke her name in that conversation alone.

"Mmm," Wave hummed with his closed eyes.

Pang smiled as he looked at his friend. The problems might not be solved, but two of the burdens Wave was carrying had already disappeared. Two troubles, done. They just need to face a few more.

Meanwhile, outside, in front of a door, Aria smiled while listening to the two. Now, Wave didn't only have her, but he had Pang too. Namtarn was the only one left to complete the group.

After turning off her potential, she knocked on the door to Sol's room. It didn't take too long for her friend's face to welcome her as he swung the door open.

His worry welcomed her, but to Sol's wonder and bafflement, not a tinge of panic and distress was painted on his friend's face. Instead, there was a tiny, innocent smile like that of a kid.

"Come in," he said, pulling the door to open it wider.

Aria entered and explored the room. It was almost identical to Wave's with little difference in decorations.

"You said you want to talk to me," she started, turning around to him.

Fortunately, there was no one else in the room except for the two of them. Aria didn't have to worry about judging stares.

"How are you?" Sol asked as if she just got hospitalized.

"Fine. A little stress with how things went but I'm fine." She even offered a genuine smile that weirded him out a little once again.

"What are they planning to do with the leaked video?"

"The Ministry wants us to confirm it to the world. We do have special abilities."

"Do you want to?"

"Of course not. But what else can we do?"

"Stop them?"

"They're too powerful for me to defeat alone."

"Then I'll help you!"

Aria chuckled. "You'll be offended when I say you can't. They're... adults sitting on a throne whilst we're just kids, expected to follow their orders as if we're servants."

"Are we though?"

"Of course not. But without the right tactic, we can't stop the Ministry from doing what they want. Let's be realistic here, their voices versus ours, we'd be beaten easily."

He sighed, disappointed with how things turned out. But he couldn't help but be mystified that he was more disappointed by the news than his friend, who would be affected by that situation more.

"I know you should be positive even after everything that's been happening——and don't get me wrong, I like that it's not stressing you out——but I can't help but wonder why," Sol voiced his opinion out. "Normally, you'd be sombre about it. But from what I'm seeing, you look too calm from my expectations."

Aria could not hide the cheeky smile that crept up from her face upon him reminding her of the miracle that happened that day.

"See that smile? You won't be able to smile like that with the current happenings. What happened?" Sol was too smart for her to lie to.

"Wave and I made up," Aria announced with the brightest smile he had ever seen from her yet. "He apologized and we came to terms with our wrongs."

But she did not expect his reaction. "You accepted his apology?"

Aria's smile slowly faded with Sol's disappointed tone and words. But still, she tried to keep the curve on her lips. "Yes, of course. Why shouldn't I?"

"Let me just give you a recap of what he did to you in case you hit your head somewhere hard. Wasuthorn neglected you, he told you insults, and he kept blaming you for something you didn't do despite explaining it to him countless times. He made you cry buckets, he caused you pain. And yet you still accepted his apology?"

"Yes—"

"Why?! Are you a masochist or what?" Sol might have raised his voice before, but he had never raised his voice on Aria. He was always calm, collected, and bright, that no one would expect that outburst of him that wiped Aria's smile.

"Because who am I not to? Why shouldn't I accept a genuine apology? Just because he was cruel to me doesn't mean he doesn't get a second chance. He gave me a second chance and I gave him too!"

"He doesn't deserve a second chance! A guy like him doesn't!"

"Because?"

"Because he hurt you!"

"Because that's his defence mechanism! He's been hurt twice by the people he trusted, of course, he wouldn't easily trust again after that! It was a traumatic event for him, Sol!"

"Traumatic or not, he caused pain to you for two years! And you threw those days away with just one apology? Have you gone insane?"

"I'm only doing what's right."

"By ignoring the fact that he hurt you?"

"You always talk about my pain, but he was in pain too! I caused it! And yes, I wasn't aware of it and he was a jerk for not looking at that perspective, but what matters right now is that he apologised! He is sorry! He had repented!"

"No!"

"What no?"

"You didn't even make him wait. Even just for a week. Why did you accept it that easy?"

"Because he needs me! He needs a shoulder to lean on. And he chose me. You have no idea how long I've waited for it, Sol. For his acceptance-"

"Why do you need his acceptance?"

"Because I love him! And I need him as much as he needs me. I need his support, his care as much as he needs mine."

"Why would you even need him? You have us! You have me!"

Aria could not give a reply, just as how fast she had been in their conversation. Sol might not say it directly, but she knew what he meant when he said she had him. Her lips remain pursed, trying to find the right words to tell him.

She opened her mouth to finally rebut, but Sol raised his hand, telling her not to speak.

She was right with her suspicion about what he meant. And he was also well aware of what her response would be one way or another.

He nodded and pressed his lips. "You don't have to say anything. You've already told me and I accepted it long ago. You don't need me that way because you already have Wasuthorn in that area of your life."

"Sol—"

"No, I understand. You don't have to apologise or comfort me in any way."

Aria wanted to hug her friend and say sorry despite him telling her not to. Sol might have already accepted that his friend only saw him as a best friend and nothing more than that, but he couldn't help but still feel the sting.

"I just don't want you to be the one who will shed the most tears in the end. I'm being too protective, I know. But you're my best friend since elementary school, you can't erase worry on me easily."

"I'll be fine, Sol. He won't hurt me again."

"He better not. Or else I won't hesitate to throw another punch at him so the other side of his lips would bleed this time."

"Sol," Aria warned.

"I'm serious. He had hurt you enough."

"He promised he won't again."

Sol sighed, clicked his tongue, and shook his head. "You shouldn't be too kind you know? People will take advantage of it."

"I'd know it with my potential."

"Always has answers, eh?" He smiled finally, so Aria mirrored it.

"Just so you'll be assured. I'm grown enough to be able to stand up for myself."

"Yeah, keep telling that to yourself."

Aria scowled, which caused a chuckle from Sol. He reached for her shoulders and gently pushed her to the door.

"Now, get out. Go to your boyfriend. My dorm mates will be here in a few minutes. I don't think you'll like to be seen by people for now."

"First of all, you don't have to push me like you're kicking me away, you know? Second, Wave isn't my boyfriend... yet." Aria whispered the last word. "And third," she stepped out of their room and faced him, "thank you for always taking care of me."

Sol smiled once more. "Of course, I'm your knight in shining armour am I not?"

Aria's smile widened before she nodded.

"By the way, they're worried about you. You aren't answering their calls and messages." By they, he meant Lily, Ten, and Uno. "Don't worry, they're more concerned about you than freaked out. Ten may be a little freaked out, but you know she'll be after knowing all of this. Try to answer them, they still love you."

She nodded again before running back to Wave and Pang's dorm room.

And Sol watched her fade away from his view.

In that story, the princess might have always been saved by the knight, but instead, she fell for the wizard.

°°°

Originally posted: 05.11.22

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