Life didn't pause for my feelings.
A week later, the teacher cleared her throat at the front of the class.
"We have two new transfer students joining us today."
I didn't look up.
"Xavier," the first boy said.
The room felt colder.
He was tall, sharp-eyed, and serious in a way that made people straighten in their seats without knowing why. He didn't smile. Didn't look nervous. Just calm and unreadable.
"And I'm Clavin," the second boy added with an easy grin. "Nice to meet you."
Complete opposites.
The teacher gestured toward the empty seats behind me. "You two can sit there."
Clavin immediately leaned forward. "Hey, you're Hinata, right?"
I blinked. "Uh… yeah?"
"Cool. You look like someone who knows where the good food is."
Despite myself, I laughed.
Xavier said nothing.
But I felt it—the weight of his gaze, brief and assessing, before he looked away. Like he'd already noticed more than he let on.
As the day went on, Clavin talked enough for both of them. Jokes, comments, questions. He didn't push. Just existed comfortably beside me.
Xavier stayed quiet.
Yet every time I glanced back, his eyes met mine for just a second too long.
Not curious.
Not friendly.
Just… aware.
And for the first time since Aiden, something shifted.
Not love.
Not hope.
Just the feeling that the story wasn't over yet.