Haeryn's expression tightened, discomfort flickering across her face as the man beside her continued to talk.
Her steps slowed for a brief second—then her eyes caught sight of Razan standing near his bike.
The change was immediate.
Her posture straightened, and a faint spark of relief crossed her face.
"Sorry," she said quickly, forcing a polite smile.
"I actually have plans today."
She stepped forward, quickening her pace in Razan's direction.
But before she could get far, the man reached out and grabbed her arm, his grip firm enough to make her stumble slightly.
"Hey, hey," he said, irritation twisting his tone.
"What's this about? I thought we were gonna hang out today. You made me follow you around all this time just to ditch me now?"
His voice rose, drawing the attention of a few nearby students who stopped to glance at the scene.
"...oh my god, look! It's Haeryn and the captain of the basketball team, Henry!"
"...looks like drama is brewing..."
Haeryn tried to pull her arm free, her discomfort now clearly visible.
"Let go," she said sharply, but he only tightened his grip.
"Learn how to read the room, dipshit."
The words cut through the noise, calm but heavy.
"...wait, Razan...?"
"...The loner bad boy and the basketball team captain, is this some kind of cliché romance setting...?"
The man's head turned, and there was Razan, walking toward them with slow, steady steps.
His tone was casual, but his eyes were locked on the man with sharp focus.
"She clearly looks uncomfortable with what you're doing," Razan said, stopping just a few feet away.
"And besides," he added, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, "she's going with me."
"He's right." Haeryn forced her arm free, shaking the Henry's hand off with a quick, sharp motion before stepping up to Razan's side.
Her smile was cold, not friendly. "So stop being a clingy asshole, would you?" She tilted her head, voice flat and hard.
Henry's face twisted in a sneer.
"Hah. Out of all the people you could be with, it's this loner bastard?"
He shoved air between them with the word bastard, then took a step closer to Razan.
"You should mind your own business. Stuff like this isn't for you."
His stance was meant to threaten.
Henry tried to make himself look bigger, he tried to make everyone see he could back up his words.
But Razan didn't move.
No shift in his shoulders, no flare of temper.
He watched Henry approach with steady eyes.
"Stop wasting time."
Razan spoke promptly..
"Either you leave us alone, or we fight. Your choice." is jaw tightened.
His stare didn't break.
"...wait, are they gonna fight?"
"Henry's in trouble, Razan actually knows how to fight though...!"
Haeryn reached for his arm, tugging once.
"Razan, let's go. You don't have to fight this dork."
Her hand was quick, half-pull, half-protective.
She sounded nervous even as she tried to sound dismissive as the words came out rushed.
She didn't want a scene, not here, not in front of everyone.
Henry hesitated, then let his anger shift into words.
He didn't try to grab her back.
He didn't push.
He stepped back and spat,
"You'll regret this, Haeryn."
His eyes slid to Razan, hard and full of threat.
"And you too. You and that bitch will pay for this."
He didn't wait to see what would happen next.
He turned and walked off, shoulders tight, mouth still set in a snarl.
A few students muttered, a ripple of low talk moving through the crowd, but no one rushed after him.
*sigh…
Haeryn let out a breath she'd been holding.
Her grip on Razan's sleeve loosened.
For a second she looked surprised, then grateful, and her voice dropped to something quieter.
"Thanks," she said, not smiling.
"I didn't want him to make a scene."
Razan's expression didn't soften much.
He shrugged once, a small motion that did more than words.
"Don't put yourself where people can do that." His tone was blunt.
He watched the man disappear into the flow of students until the threat felt distant.
Haeryn followed his gaze, then turned back to him. "You okay?" she asked, trying to read him.
Her voice had an edge of real concern now.
"Why are you asking me?"
Razan scoffed as he walked toward his bike, his tone dry and a little sharp.
"You should ask yourself that more," he added without looking back.
"Ugh, you're impossible," Haeryn said, letting out a small scoff of her own as she shook her head.
She followed a few steps behind him, her arms crossing loosely over her chest.
"So, where are we going?"
Razan stopped beside his bike, pulling his phone out of his pocket.
The screen's light reflected off his face as he checked the time, thinking for a moment.
He glanced at her briefly, his voice calm but casual. "Had dinner yet?"
"Ohh, so we're going on a date or something?"
Haeryn asked, her voice playful but uncertain.
Her tone carried that mix of teasing curiosity, yet deep down she was testing the mood.
She tilted her head a little, her blonde hair falling past her shoulders as she looked at him with a half-smile.
"Sort of," Razan replied casually.
He didn't look at her right away as he reached toward the small compartment on the side of his bike.
Pulling out a second helmet, he turned and held it out to her.
"If that's how you see it."
Haeryn blinked, caught off guard.
For a moment, she just stared at him.
Razan wasn't the kind of guy who said things like that—he usually brushed people off, barely even talked unless it was necessary.
Seeing him act like this, even slightly open, almost felt unreal.
"Wow," she said under her breath, smiling faintly.
"So you can be a little bold after all."
Razan didn't respond, though the corner of his mouth twitched slightly, almost like he wanted to smile but refused to let it show.
The quiet between them felt strange—
not awkward, just different.
Haeryn finally took the helmet from his hand, fingers brushing his briefly.
She noticed the warmth in his skin even though the air around them was cool.
For some reason, that small touch made her heart beat a little faster.
"I'm getting excited already," she said, trying to sound teasing again, though there was a hint of truth in her voice this time.
"Then hold on tight," Razan said simply, swinging one leg over the bike and gripping the handlebars.
Haeryn slipped the helmet on, adjusting the strap before climbing on behind him.
As she settled in, she wrapped her arms around his waist for balance.
She could feel the steady rise and fall of his breathing beneath her hands.
It made her tense for a second before relaxing again.
Razan started the engine.
*Vrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!
The roar of the bike filled the air, drowning out the soft sounds of students talking in the distance.
The rumble vibrated through the ground as the headlights cut through the dim light of the sun already setting.
"Ready?" he asked over his shoulder.
Haeryn nodded quickly. "Yeah."
The bike jerked forward, smooth and fast, rolling out from the parking area and through the gates.
The wind hit them immediately, cool and sharp against their skin as the bike picked up speed.
Streetlights blurred past them, each one flashing across their helmets like streaks of white.
The roads ahead were open, wide, and glowing faintly from the lights of passing cars.
Haeryn held on tighter as the wind rushed past, her voice barely heard over the sound of the engine.
"Where are we going?"
"You'll see," Razan replied, his tone calm and steady.
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
The noise of the city faded as they rode farther out, replaced by the hum of the motor and the steady rhythm of the wind.
It wasn't silence—it was something else.
A strange kind of calm that neither of them had expected.