Chapter 79 - The Proposal

  Fei sat in the cafeteria, her shoulders trembling as silent tears traced down her cheeks. She barely moved, her hands resting limply on the table beside her untouched meal—a warm meat bun and a bowl of congee that had long since begun to cool. Even the scent of comfort, the nostalgic aroma of soft dough and savory filling, did nothing to ease the weight pressing down on her. She simply stared at her food, eyes glassy, as if willing herself to eat but unable to muster the strength. The quiet, rhythmic drops of her tears landing on the table felt louder than the bustling chatter around us.

  I swallowed hard. I had no idea how to comfort her. What do you even say in times like this? Especially to a girl? I’d never really been close to one since high school, and the thought of fumbling through some forced words felt suffocating. Instead, I turned to Remuel, hoping he’d have some sort of plan, but he only took another bite of his meat bun, chewing lazily before giving me a halfhearted shrug. "Just stay quiet," his eyes seemed to say.

  I sighed, wishing Myrrh, Cindy, or even Dianca were here. Myrrh—I hadn’t spoken to her all day, and there was a gnawing restlessness in my chest because of it. Cindy? She hadn’t even shown up to class. As for Dianca, she was in another class entirely, and I hadn’t caught a glimpse of her either. Without them, it was just us three, sitting in this suffocatingly awkward silence.

  To make things worse, the cafeteria was drowning in saccharine displays of holiday romance. Couples were everywhere—whispering sweet nothings, holding hands, giggling like they were in their own world. Right next to our table, a couple fed each other bites of cake, oblivious to how nauseatingly lovey-dovey they looked.

  The queue for food wasn’t any better; pairs clung to each other, fingers intertwined, basking in the glow of some absurd “Christmas Lovers” meal deal. Buy two meals for the price of one—but only if you had a significant other. Orbital Tech was getting more cringe by the second, and honestly, I was ready to leave.

  Then, cutting through the thick air, a familiar voice rang out—gentle, warm, like the first breeze of spring after a harsh winter.

  “Oh! Zaft! Remuel and Fei are here too!”

  When we turned toward the voice, we were met with the sight of a stunning woman with cascading blue hair and vibrant emerald eyes. Dianca stood before us, dressed in an ensemble adorned with elegant purple ornaments that shimmered under the cafeteria’s lights. Glitter dusted her sleeves and neckline, catching the glow like tiny stars. Had she come from some university event? A performance? Whatever it was, she radiated a liveliness that contrasted sharply with the heavy atmosphere weighing down our table.

  “Dianca,” I muttered, almost as if her presence wasn’t entirely real.

  “Oh, Princess Dianca!” Remuel exclaimed dramatically, raising his hands as if he were a knight pledging fealty. “Have you come to offer me some X-choco, my lady?”

  Dianca didn’t even spare him a glance. With a flick of her shimmering cape, she strode past him, her gaze locked onto Fei. The playful energy in her expression dimmed as soon as she took in the sight before her.

  Fei had wiped her tears away, but there was no mistaking the redness in her eyes, the slight puffiness of her cheeks. The evidence of her sorrow clung to her like an unseen weight.

  “Fei.” Dianca’s voice softened, her brows knitting together in concern. “Are you okay?”

  “I-I’m fine,” Fei replied, forcing a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. It wobbled, fragile, like a glass about to shatter.

  Dianca didn’t buy it. She turned to me and leaned in slightly, lowering her voice to a whisper. “What happened?”

  “It’s about Neil,” I muttered, keeping my words brief.

  Dianca’s expression darkened for just a moment before shifting into something more determined. Then, as if switching masks, she beamed at me with that signature radiant smile—a spark of confidence glinting in her emerald eyes.

  “I think I have a rough idea of what’s going on. Leave this to me,” she said with a wink.

  I exhaled, relieved. “Okay, I’ll leave her to you.”

  Dianca knelt slightly, bringing herself closer to Fei’s level before presenting a delicate cyberflower. Its petals shimmered faintly, the embedded nanolights pulsing with a soft, calming glow.

  “Here, Fei. This might cheer you up,” Dianca said gently, offering the flower like a tiny beacon of warmth.

  Fei blinked at the gift, her fingers hesitating before wrapping around the stem. “T-thanks, Miss Dianca,” she mumbled, still attempting to hold up that fragile, forced smile.

  Meanwhile, Remuel practically vibrated with impatience. “What about me? Where’s my X-choco?” he whined, panting like an overexcited dog. If he had a tail, I was sure it would be wagging furiously.

  I sighed, looping an arm around his nape and dragging him away before he could embarrass himself further. “Let’s give them some space,” I said, steering him toward another part of the cafeteria. “This is girl talk—we’re useless here.”

  <><><>

  Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

  Wanting to give the girls some space, Remuel and I wandered aimlessly through the university’s pathways, our steps slow and heavy with the weight of unspoken thoughts. The quarrel between Fei and Neil still lingered in our minds, a tangled mess of confusion and frustration.

  In our hands sat the X-choco kisses Neil had given us. Neither of us had unwrapped them. Instead, we just stared at the glossy foil, as if the chocolates held the answers we couldn’t find.

  “Hey, Remuel,” I muttered, breaking the silence.

  “What?” he replied, barely glancing up.

  “I thought you wanted X-chocolates. Why aren’t you eating yours?”

  Remuel scoffed, gripping the tiny candy like it was a personal insult. “Are you nuts? I wanted an X-choco from a girl, not from Neil!” He waved it around dramatically before stuffing it back into his pocket. “Besides, I’m having a hard time digesting this whole situation. Why is Neil suddenly nice to us? And why was he so cruel to Fei, saying he’d kill her or something?”

  I frowned, the unease in my chest deepening. “Yeah… now I’m having second thoughts too. Maybe this X-choco is poisoned?” I turned the piece over in my fingers, half-expecting to find something sinister beneath the wrapper. “What if he’s just playing nice to get us to lower our guard? I mean, Neil’s not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, but we can’t be too careful.”

  Remuel went silent for a moment, then gave me a slow, meaningful look. “Or maybe…” he trailed off.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Maybe what?”

  “Maybe…” A smirk crept onto his face. “He has feelings for you.”

  “W-what!?” I nearly choked on my own breath.

  Remuel nodded sagely, as if he had just unraveled the universe’s greatest mystery. “Think about it. Neil was all flustered when he handed us these chocolates. And the way he treats Fei like absolute trash—just because she’s a little clingy toward you? Doesn’t that scream love triangle to you?”

  I stiffened, my mind spiraling into deep contemplation. “Are you saying that Neil is… a homosexual?” I muttered, my grip tightening around the X-choco as if it contained forbidden knowledge.

  The puzzle pieces started clicking into place in a way that made my brain hurt. Neil had always told me to keep my distance from Fei. He was relentless about it. And just earlier, he had straight-up threatened her for getting too close to me. If I really thought about it…

  Remuel might actually have a point.

  Maybe—just maybe—it was Neil who had feelings for me. Maybe Fei’s closeness to me made him feel threatened, insecure.

  This was a love triangle. But not the kind I had ever imagined.

  As the realization hit, Remuel clapped a hand on my shoulder, his grin brimming with mischief. “Congrats, bro,” he said, barely holding back a chuckle. “That guy’s in love with you.”

  “Fuck you! I don’t swing that way!” I snapped, recoiling from Remuel’s ridiculous theory.

  “Well, you better think of a way to reject him—her—them—whatever Neil’s pronouns are,” Remuel said with an exaggerated shrug. “Because if you don’t, Fei’s the one who’ll suffer the most in this twisted love triangle.”

  I was about to fire back with a retort, but something in the hallway stole my attention.

  A commotion stirred right outside our classroom. A cluster of students—both guys and girls—had gathered in a tight semicircle, murmuring excitedly as they watched something unfold. From my angle, I managed to get a glimpse of what was happening.

  There, at the center of the crowd, knelt Kian Cyprus—the campus heartthrob, the golden boy, the type who had both girls swooning and guys rolling their eyes. In his hands, he held three cyberflowers, their delicate petals glowing faintly under the corridor lights. His expression was unwavering, eyes locked onto a single person.

  Myrrh Alicent.

  “I’ve been waiting so long to tell you this,” Kian said, his voice smooth yet filled with emotion. “I’ve had my eyes on you ever since we first met. But now that I’ve gotten to know you better, I realize how truly beautiful you are. Will you be my date?”

  The moment those words left his lips, the hallway erupted. The girls in the audience shrieked, some clutching their chests as if they were the ones being proposed to. Others whispered excitedly, probably gushing over how romantic the scene was. The noise level in the corridor steadily rose, fueled by the weight of Kian’s confession.

  But amidst all the chaos, I felt something sink in my chest.

  A dull, inexplicable pain.

  I had no reason to feel like this. No logical reason at all. And yet, standing there, watching Myrrh get a grand, heartfelt proposal from Kian Cyprus of all people…

  It made my whole day feel off. Like this might just turn out to be the worst day of the year, depending on her answer. And I didn’t even know why it bothered me so much.

  A heavy silence hung in the air. Myrrh still hadn’t answered.

  She stood there, frozen in place, her lips curled into a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. It was the kind of smile that looked polished on the surface but felt artificial underneath—like a mask hastily put on to hide whatever she was really feeling.

  She was blushing, but I couldn’t tell if it was because she was flattered or simply mortified at being put on the spot in front of an entire audience. Either way, she was speechless.

  Ten seconds passed.

  The crowd, once buzzing with excitement, was now eerily still, every breath held in anticipation. Kian himself faltered, his confident posture stiffening under the weight of the unspoken answer. The silence stretched on, unbearable.

  And then, in a low, uncertain mumble, he finally broke it.

  “Y-you were supposed to answer, Miss Alicent.” His voice wavered, but he quickly recovered, slipping right back into his dashing prince act. He straightened up, flashing a hopeful smile. “So, once again—will you be my date?”

  The tension cracked.

  “No.”

  Myrrh’s voice was cold. Unwavering.

  The single syllable rang through the corridor like a gunshot.

  For a moment, no one moved. No one breathed.

  The crowd, Kian, even Remuel and I—every single person stood in stunned silence. No one had expected Myrrh to reject Kian Cyprus, the guy practically worshipped as the campus heartthrob.

  But as shocked as I was, I also felt something else creeping in beneath the surprise.

  Relief.

  It settled in my chest like a weight lifting off, though I had no idea why. I quickly forced my face into a look of neutral disappointment—after all, rejecting a nice guy like Kian should’ve been sad, right?

  So why the hell was I secretly celebrating?

  But Kian wasn’t one to back down so easily.

  Still kneeling, he lifted the cyberflowers again, his smile unwavering. “Please?”

  A soft twitch in Myrrh’s brow.

  It was so subtle that I doubted anyone else even noticed, but I did. That tiny shift in her expression, the barely-there flicker of irritation behind her still-forced smile.

  And then…

  Her blue eyes locked onto mine.

  Something in the air changed.

  Before I could react, Myrrh stepped forward, grabbing my wrist and yanking me through the crowd. My body moved before my brain could catch up, and in the next instant, she had entwined her fingers with mine—firmly, deliberately.

  And then, without hesitation, she pulled my other hand to her waist.

  “I’m sorry, Kian,” Myrrh said sweetly, her voice smooth and unwavering. “As you can see… I already have a boyfriend.”

  And just like that, the entire corridor lost its mind.