The lunch bell rang, and students made their way toward the canteen as usual.
Parv, Rohan, and Aryan collected their food and sat at their usual table near the canteen.
A few tables away, Miv sat quietly with his friends.
As always, Parv's eyes were fixed on him.
"Parv..." Rohan called.
No response.
Aryan waved a hand in front of Parv's face.
"Parv!"
"Huh?" Parv finally snapped out of his thoughts.
Rohan laughed.
"We've been talking to you for the last two minutes. Are you even listening?"
Parv scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed smile.
"Sorry... I got distracted."
Aryan followed Parv's gaze and sighed.
"You're looking at Miv again, aren't you?"
Parv smiled without denying it.
Before Rohan or Aryan could stop him, Parv stood up with his lunch tray.
"Where are you going?" Rohan asked.
Parv didn't answer.
Without saying a word, he walked straight toward Miv.
As he reached Miv's table, he quietly sat down on the empty space beside him on the bench.
Miv glanced at Parv for a brief moment, but his expression remained unchanged.
He didn't react.
He simply continued eating his lunch in silence.
Parv smiled softly, as though he had expected nothing less.
Miv ended his meal with two vanilla macarons.
He stood up and quietly walked away, leaving Parv staring after him.
The final bell rang, and students poured out of the school.
Parv waved goodbye to Rohan and Aryan before starting his walk home.
Meanwhile, Miv made his way toward the school buses with his friends.
Just as he reached the bus parking area, the last bus slowly pulled away.
He had missed it.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Miv adjusted his backpack and began walking home instead.
A few minutes later, Parv noticed a familiar figure walking ahead of him.
"Miv?" he whispered in surprise.
Without a second thought, Parv ran toward him.
"Miv! Wait!"
Miv stopped walking and turned around.
Parv finally caught up, slightly out of breath.
"I thought you always went home by bus."
Miv remained silent.
Parv smiled.
"Did you miss your bus?"
Miv gave a small nod.
"Well..." Parv said with a grin, "looks like we're walking the same way today."
Miv didn't respond.
He simply continued walking, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
Parv smiled to himself and walked beside him anyway.
"So... which route do you usually take?" Parv asked.
Silence.
"Do you always walk this fast?"
Still no reply.
Parv chuckled softly.
"You really don't like talking, do you?"
As they continued walking, Parv found himself stealing glances at Miv every few seconds. Without realizing it, his attention was completely on Miv instead of the path ahead.
Suddenly, his foot caught on an uneven stone.
"Ah—!"
He stumbled forward, about to fall.
In an instant, Miv reached out and caught him by the waist, stopping him from hitting the ground.
For a brief moment...
Everything seemed to stand still.
Their eyes met.
Parv's heart skipped a beat as he looked into Miv's eyes.
Miv remained expressionless, but his grip tightened for just a second to steady Parv.
Realizing what he had done, Miv immediately let go and withdrew his hand.
Without Miv's support, Parv lost his balance again and landed on the ground with a soft thud.
"Ouch..." Parv muttered, rubbing his elbow.
Miv looked down at him for a brief second, his expression unreadable.
After the incident, neither of them spoke.
They continued walking in silence.
A few minutes later, Miv turned into a small macaron shop by the roadside.
Parv looked at the shop curiously before following him inside.
Miv noticed Parv out of the corner of his eye.
"Why is he still following me?" he wondered.
Ignoring him, Miv walked to the counter.
"The usual," he said quietly.
The shop owner smiled and nodded.
A few moments later, two vanilla macarons were placed on a small plate.
Miv sat at a corner table and quietly began eating them.
Parv stood there, watching him with curiosity.
"So... this is where he came."
Without thinking much, Parv walked over and sat across from Miv.
Miv looked up at him for a brief moment, his expression asking only one question—
"Why are you following me?"
But he said nothing.
The silence between them spoke louder than words.
Parv watched Miv quietly enjoy his macarons.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"He bought two... Maybe he'll share one with me."
As Miv lifted the second macaron toward his mouth, Parv leaned forward with a playful grin.
"Won't you share something with someone who's sitting beside you?"
Miv paused.
He looked at the macaron in his hand.
Then he looked at Parv.
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
Without a word, Miv held out the macaron.
Parv blinked in surprise.
"For me?" he asked.
Miv gave a small nod.
A bright smile instantly appeared on Parv's face.
"Thank you."
He happily accepted the macaron.
Miv didn't say anything.
He simply looked away, as if sharing it wasn't a big deal.
But to Parv...
It was the first kindness Miv had ever shown him.
Both walked...
The sky grew darker with every passing minute.
A cool breeze swept through the streets.
"It's going to rain," Parv murmured.
Before either of them could take another step, heavy raindrops began to fall.
Within seconds, the rain poured down.
The two hurried beneath the roof of a small closed shop by the roadside.
Parv looked at Miv, whose shoulders were already soaked.
Without thinking, he took off his jacket and held it above them, shielding them from the rain.
The distance between them grew smaller.
Their eyes met.
For a long moment, the world around them seemed to disappear.
Parv couldn't look away.
His heart raced as he slowly moved closer to Miv's face.
Miv didn't move.
The distance between them grew more smaller...
Their breaths mingled.
Parv gently closed his eyes.
Did they kiss...?
— End of Chapter 3 —