"Some people save you so quietly, you don't realize you were drowning until you start breathing again."
~Annie Flame~
CHAPTER ONE: The Quiet Ones Always Bleed the Loudest
Eidan wasn't made for this world.
That's what he told himself every time he looked in the mirror.
Soft face, sharp jaw, lips too pink for comfort-
The kind of beauty that made people stare too long, then get mad at him for making them feel things they didn't understand.
His body told a different story though.
Broad shoulders under baggy hoodies.
Collarbones like poetry written in bone.
A contradiction wrapped in skin.
At first glance, you'd mistake him for one of those pretty boys from dramas-the quiet, mysterious type girls write in diaries about.
But Eidan? He wasn't mystery.
He was misunderstanding, personified.
He'd dated boys once.
He even loved them. But love isn't soft when you're young and naive.Maybe it was just mere attraction which he confused with real feelings, it was never true love and by the time he realized it;
He was already covered in scars suffering with trauma,manipulation, messy relationships that left his heart burned out like a cigarette end.
Love existed as 2am chains of abusive texts.
Manipulation disguised as affection.
Whispers of "If you ever do leave me, I'll destroy you."
So Eidan stopped loving, but the scars stayed.
He stopped dating and specially guys. For him it was the biggest mistake of his life. Maybe it was the trauma that made him feel like this.
Being tired of love he stopped caring, his emotions turned cold and he felt like he was never worthy of love.
He built walls so high, no one dared to climb-
Now?
He walked the hallways of his school like a ghost with perfect hair.
Never too close to anyone.
Never too far.
Until Reen came in his life.
She was new, only been there a month, but she carried herself like she owned the damn place.
Short black hair, no makeup, too honest for her own good.
If you didn't check her chest or hips, you'd swear she was a dude-one of those tough boys from old martial arts films, the kind who'd beat your ass then buy you ice cream after.
But Reen wasn't just looks.
She had a personality that resembled wildfire.
A body language that said:
"Mess around and find out."
She'd say things no one will dare to say.
She laughed loudly, but her silence was sharper than knives.
Those pierce eyes which makes you fall in love.
And somehow, when she was around, Eidan's walls didn't feel so heavy. Eiden couldn't help but find himself looking her way. Even he wasn't sure what he wanted...
They became friends fast.
No labels, No flirting.
Just two souls vibing in the same lonely universe.
She made friendship look like safety.
Even her kindness was out of this world. She would even treat those who were inferior to her in grades, looks or class equally.
She always used to tell him, "Everyone deserves respect and love. An opportunity to live there life to fullest without harming someone else."
A girl this perfect and that? That was not really good for a boy like Eidan. Who had carved affection all his life yet only felt betrayal.
Was this how real love feels like?
So of course, he fell for her.
Even if he didn't know what the hell he was feeling at first.
Eidan found himself looking forward to mornings again.
Not for classes, not for life-
but for her.
When Reen spoke, people listened.
When she smiled, you felt safe.
And when she sat beside Eidan during lunch, it was the first time in months he didn't feel like a ghost. Eiden started to socialize more, back to the cheerful guy he once was.
But then she said:
"I'm going away for a week. Vacation thing. Gotta visit my aunt. But don't worry I'll be back soon. Just don't refuse to recognize me once I'm back. "
She laughed it off like casual. Like it was nothing.
For Eidan, it was everything.
The first day without her?
Manageable.
The second?
Lonely.
"When is she coming back?"
It was just 2 days of her absence but for Eiden. He already missed her too much. He didn't even had the courage to contact her.
"What if she thinks I'm being clingy or weird or what if she changed her mind and ended our friendship? Ughhhh...."
He would overthink all day long. Like he has nothing better to do than to just worry about useless things.
By the fourth,a petty, jealous snake named Shazil transferred in.
Eidan's past came back like an uninvited guest.
Shazil had always hated him.
Back in their old school, he'd made snide comments, always jealous of Eidan's looks, his calm aura, the way people liked him without effort.
So of course, Shazil exposed everything.
"Hey, did y'all know Eidan used to date guys? Bet he's eyeing you right now, bro."
"Really?"said a classmate.
"Ofcourse why would I lie?"
Laughter. Whispers.
Side-eyes in the hallway.
By the fifth day, things got worse.
Books stolen.
Lockers trashed.
Friends? They left too.
Not because Eidan had done anything wrong,
but because people are cowards when they don't understand something.
First they made some excuses about how they're so busy. But Eiden had already expected everything.
Even the ones who promised loyalty started treating him like a ticking time bomb.
Even though Eiden had the ability, Eidan didn't fight back.
His past trauma glued him still.
He didn't want his parents to know. He never told them about him being gay once.
He didn't want to be "that son."
So he showed up every day with new bruises,
smiling through his teeth,
wishing the floor would open up and swallow him whole.
But there was one fear bigger than bullying:
What if Reen finds out and hates me too?
Days went by and it was the day Reen was gonna return.
The day she came back.
Eidan sat in the corner of the classroom, hood up, head down.
When Reen walked in, the whole room froze.
Her energy shifted the air like thunder.
"Yo, Eidan!" she said, bright as always, like nothing was wrong.
He barely managed to lift his head.
"Hey."
His voice cracked like glass.
The whispers started again.
The class giggled.
Mocking whispers rippled through the air.
Reen noticed.
Of course she did.
Her eyes narrowed.
---
"What's going on?"
Eidan shook his head.
Tried to brush it off.
But Shazil couldn't resist.
Couldn't help but pour poison into the room.
Shazil couldn't hold his venom.
"Tell her, Eidan. Or should I?"
A smug look.
A threat in disguise.
Eidan's stomach twisted.
Reen looked between them, eyes narrowing.
"What's going on? Eiden, what happened?"
Shazil spilled it.
Loud. Petty. Cruel.
Trash talk. Lies wrapped in half-truths.
Eidan wanted to sink into the floor. Even some of his bruises were exposed which were caused by Shazil.
His mind was screaming "No, don't tell it to Reen...."
But after knowing about his dark past. Eiden expected that Reen must be disgusted by him now.This was it.This was where she'd leave too.
But Reen?
She stood up and walked over. And slapped Shazil so hard the sound echoed.
The class went dead silent.
"You touched him?"
Her voice dropped, low and dangerous. She has also seen those bruises on Eiden's arm.
Shazil tried to retaliate, but Reen tossed him against a desk like he weighed nothing.
When the girls and boys in his fan club rushed to defend him?
Reen knocked them all back, calm as ever.
"Funny how y'all believe a stranger over someone you've known for a year," she said, cracking her knuckles.
"Eidan hasn't wronged a single one of you. He's never even looked at you wrong. And yet here you are-proving you were never his friends to begin with."
The bell rang.
She walked back to her seat-beside Eidan.
Sat down like nothing happened.
And that's when Eidan's heart snapped.
Not in pain.
In obsession.
And that was the moment Eidan realized:
He wasn't just in love.
He was obsessed.
And he was never going back to who he was before.
End of Chapter One
To be continued...