Going to school the next morning ping's mind wandered through what happened the day before and told himself it was just a coincidence
"Keng was just passing by. That was all,it didn't mean anything".
He was supposed to be heading to the library during his free period.
Still, when the old pavilion came into view , ping hesitated.
Just for a moment,he thought, just to rest .
He turned in and sat on the familiar bench , placing his bag beside him. The shade was cool, the air calm.
Ping adjusted his glasses and looked around casually,the space was empty .
He waited anyway.
Minutes passed , and ping tried to focus on his notebook, though his eyes kept drifting toward the pathway leading in. Each sound made his heart lift slightly, only to settle again when no one appeared .
He let out a small breath, unsure whether he felt relieved or disappointed.
Footsteps crushed softly against the ground.
Ping's heart skipped.
"I knew I'd find you here".
He looked up.
Keng stood there, sunlight filtering through the trees behind him.
For a second, ping forgot how to move.
" P'keng", he said quietly.
Keng smiled and walked over "p'keng?, not Hia?" He teased sitting beside him with that careful distance. "On your way to the library?"
Ping nodded,ears warming," y....Yes".
"But you stopped", keng said lightly.
Ping adjusted his glasses, flustered. " It's....quiet here".
Keng hummed in agreement. "Yeah . That's why I like it too".
Ping didn't ask how keng knew he was here.
He didn't ask why keng came.
He just sat there,heart beating a little too fast, pretending this was all coincidence.
They talked – slowly at first. About classes. About which teachers talked too much. About how crowded the hallways became after lunch. The conversation came easier than ping expected. He answered without overthinking every word, and when keng laughed softly at one of his comments, ping felt his chest warm.
He didn't notice the time passing.
He also didn't notice the three figures approaching from behind the trees.
"Is that.... Keng?" One of them whispered.
"And who's he with ?" Another asked.
They leaned closer , eyes widening.
" The nerd from the lower class ?".
"No way", another said ,
"He really ditched us for this ?"
Curiosity got the better of them
A twig snapped underfoot.
Ping stiffened.
He looked around, eyes landing on the three boys approaching.
His breath caught, panic flooding his chest.
Keng turned, surprised flashing briefly across his face "..... You guys".
Ping's heart dropped.
So close
Too close
His fingers curled tightly around his notebook as all the air seemed to leave his lungs. He could feel their eyes on him – assessing, wondering.
One of them glanced between keng and ping , clearly stunned," didn't expect to find you here"
Keng stood slightly, instinctively shifting close,"I was just about to __"
He turned back to ping .
"Ping this is ..."
Hearing his name like that – said so gently made ping's head spin.
The attention was too much.
"I– I should go ", ping blurted out, before keng could introduce his friends
"Ping wait__" keng said, reaching out without thinking.
But ping was already backing away cheeks burning, eyes lowered.
"I'm sorry", he murmured, then turned and hurried off, footsteps quick and uneven as he disappeared down the path
The pavilion fell silent .
Keng stared after him, jaw tightening.
Then he turned sharply to his friends.
"What were you thinking?" He snapped
They blinked, caught off guard.
"You followed me", keng continued, frustration clear in his voice.
" You just walked up like that , you scared him "
" We didn't mean to__"
" You chased him away", keng cut in.
None of them have ever heard that tone from him before.
Keng ran a hand through his hair, frustration written all over his face.
Without another word he grabbed his bag and walked off toward class.
In their way to class , keng stopped by ping's classroom, the four of them drew attention immediately.
Whispers followed.
Heads turned.
THE BIG FOUR.
Ping sat in his classroom by the window, trying to focus on his notes when a sudden gush rippled through the room
His classmates stared toward the door .
Ping looked up.
Keng stood In the hallway with his friends.
Their eyes met.
For a split second, ping forgot how to breathe.
Then keng smiled.
Not his usual charming smile – but something softer.
He lifted his hand and waved.
Ping's face flushed instantly. Heat rushed to his cheeks as he ducked his head , heart pounding wildly .
Ping didn't look up again until the classroom noise slowly returned .
Whispers filled the air, low and excited.
The classroom fell into chaos .
"Did you see that?!"
" He waved!"
" No, he waved at me!"
" Are you blind? I was standing right there !"
Girls in the hallway had already stopped walking, voices overlapping as they argued, each one convinced the smile was meant for her.
"I swear he looked at me!"
"No you're lying – he smiled at my direction!"
Laughter and squeals filled the corridor.
Keng's friends exchanged looks,
One of them snorted "they think that was for them" .
Another glanced back toward ping's classroom, where ping was very clearly not looking up "....was it?"
Keng didn't answer.
He just smiled to himself and continued walking,hand stucked in his pockets as if nothing had happened.
Inside the classroom ping pressed his lips together, trying to steady his breathing. His ears felt hot. His heart refused to calm down.
He didn't mean me,ping told himself.
After school,keng leaned against the wall outside his class, his friends walked beside him, a few steps behind.
One of them laughed softly "you're in a good mood".
Keng glanced at him " am I ?"
"Yeah " , another said,"you've been smiling a lot today".
The third one tilted his head , eyes narrowing playfully "don't tell me our friend is in love".
Keng scoffed lightly. "Don't be ridiculous"
"Then explain why you ditched basketball " one of them replied .
"And why you're suddenly hanging around quiet places ", another added .
Keng didn't answer.
He walked away instead.
His silence made them grin.
"Oho", one of them said " so that's how it is"
"Guess we'll find out sooner or later", another laughed.
Keng shook his head , but the faint smile he tried to hide gave him away.