---
[Noah’s Notes App – 2:17 AM]
I see him.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, third row, slouched in his seat like the world’s too small to hold his thoughts. Blue hair. Always smirking. Always laughing with people who talk louder than necessary.
I pretend I’m not watching.
I pretend I’m absorbed in Wuthering Heights for the fifth time. I reread the same paragraph just to avoid looking up. But sometimes—he laughs. And I forget what sentence I was on.
He caught me staring once.
I looked away so fast I got dizzy.
He didn't say anything. Just smiled.
I told myself I imagined it.
I wonder what he’d say if I spoke first.
But I won’t.
I never do.
---
[Private Message Draft – Unsent]
To: Jay Kim
hey… i think this is your number. i’m in your lit class. you dropped your pen once and i still have it. sorry.
Backspace.
Backspace.
Delete draft.
---
Chapter One: Lost Things
[Jay > Noah | 7:39 PM]
hey
sorry if this is weird
are you in Prof. Lin’s Lit Theory class?
[Noah > Jay | 7:45 PM]
…yes
who is this?
[Jay > Noah | 7:45 PM]
jay kim
blue hair, third row, always ten minutes late and pretending not to be
you dropped this today
(attachment: bookmark.jpg)
[Noah > Jay | 7:46 PM]
that’s mine
I didn’t realize it was gone
thanks
[Jay > Noah | 7:46 PM]
no prob
i was gonna give it to you after class but
you vanished like a ghost
was kind of impressive, honestly
[Noah > Jay | 7:48 PM]
I’m not great with crowds
or… people
[Jay > Noah | 7:49 PM]
same
but you’ve got more of the mysterious loner vibe
i just look like a chaotic raccoon with too much caffeine
[Noah > Jay | 7:49 PM]
I don’t drink caffeine
makes me jittery
[Jay > Noah | 7:50 PM]
see, you’re already ten times more elegant than me
so
thanks for giving me a reason to message
been meaning to say hi for a while
[Noah > Jay | 7:51 PM]
why?
[Jay > Noah | 7:51 PM]
idk
you looked interesting
quiet, always reading, kind of like you’re living in another timeline
i wondered what you’re thinking about all the time
[Noah > Jay | 7:52 PM]
usually?
the book I’m reading
or how long until I can go back to my room
[Jay > Noah | 7:52 PM]
lol
mood
but seriously, that book—Wuthering Heights, right?
you’ve been reading it since the start of the semester
[Noah > Jay | 7:53 PM]
it’s my favorite
this is my fifth time reading it
[Jay > Noah | 7:54 PM]
five times??
what is it about that book? I tried once—couldn’t get past chapter four
[Noah > Jay | 7:54 PM]
it's chaotic
and dark
and full of people who hurt each other
but it’s honest
no pretending things are okay when they’re not
[Jay > Noah | 7:55 PM]
that’s… kind of beautiful
in a messed-up way
[Noah > Jay | 7:55 PM]
exactly
[Jay > Noah | 7:56 PM]
what’s your favorite line?
[Noah > Jay | 7:57 PM]
“Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.”
[Jay > Noah | 7:57 PM]
wow
you just hit me in the heart at full speed
no warning
[Noah > Jay | 7:58 PM]
I warned you
you just didn’t read the label
[Jay > Noah | 7:58 PM]
so you can be witty
good to know
[Noah > Jay | 7:59 PM]
don’t tell anyone
it ruins the whole "mysterious and unreadable" thing
[Jay > Noah | 8:00 PM]
sworn to secrecy
scout’s honor
even though I was never a scout
[Noah > Jay | 8:00 PM]
you strike me more as
“chaos club president”
[Jay > Noah | 8:01 PM]
okay wow
i feel both attacked and seen
[Noah > Jay | 8:01 PM]
you said you wanted honesty
[Jay > Noah | 8:02 PM]
touche
but seriously
thanks for not blocking me immediately
I was half sure you'd ghost
[Noah > Jay | 8:03 PM]
I thought about it
still might
[Jay > Noah | 8:03 PM]
ouch
but valid
[Noah > Jay | 8:04 PM]
I’m not used to people noticing me
or trying to talk to me
especially like this
[Jay > Noah | 8:04 PM]
what’s “like this”?
[Noah > Jay | 8:05 PM]
like you actually want to
not because you need notes or help with an assignment
but because… I don’t know
you’re curious?
[Jay > Noah | 8:06 PM]
I am curious
but not in a bad way
you just feel like the kind of person I’d regret never knowing
[Noah > Jay | 8:07 PM]
people don’t usually say things like that to me
[Jay > Noah | 8:07 PM]
maybe they should
because it’s true
you ever get tired of being alone in your head?
[Noah > Jay | 8:08 PM]
every day
[Jay > Noah | 8:08 PM]
then let me sit in the quiet with you sometimes
I won’t try to fix it
just… exist beside you
[Noah > Jay | 8:09 PM]
you’re really good at saying things that feel too much
but in a way that doesn’t make me want to run
[Jay > Noah | 8:09 PM]
i’ll take that as the highest compliment you’ve ever given anyone
and probably ever will
[Noah > Jay | 8:10 PM]
you might be right
[Jay > Noah | 8:10 PM]
so
study together sometime?
or just
read in the same room and not talk?
I’ll even pretend not to peek at your annotations
[Noah > Jay | 8:11 PM]
you’d read over my shoulder?
[Jay > Noah | 8:11 PM]
guilty
but only if you don’t tell me to stop
[Noah > Jay | 8:12 PM]
…I wouldn’t
[Jay > Noah | 8:12 PM]
then it’s a date
or a not-date
whatever makes you comfortable
[Noah > Jay | 8:13 PM]
can it just be
a beginning?
[Jay > Noah | 8:13 PM]
yeah
i’d really like that
.
.
.
Author/Elisha: "Hey guys!! I was planning on creating this story as a chat story but for some reason it wont published in the chat story so I'll just do it as a chat-novel type of thingy story hehe and please!! Like my creation!! (yes im desperate hehe) 🐤
Main Characters
---
Noah Reed
Age: 20
Major: Literature
Year: Sophomore
Personality: Quiet, introspective, emotionally guarded
Appearance: Wavy dark brown hair, pale skin, always in oversized sweaters, often seen with a book in hand
Likes: Gothic novels, rainy days, classical music, warm tea, silence
Dislikes: Group work, loud parties, eye contact
Habits: Re-reads books obsessively, types then deletes messages multiple times, sketches in the margins of his notebooks
Secret: Writes anonymous poetry online under the name “Ghosttype”
Quote: “I don’t talk much. Doesn’t mean I don’t have things to say.”
---
Jay Kim
Age: 21
Major: Psychology
Year: Junior
Personality: Outgoing, observant, secretly a softie
Appearance: Dyed blue hair (always messy), golden-tan skin, piercings (ear and eyebrow), usually in hoodies or ripped jeans
Likes: People-watching, bubble tea, indie music, spontaneous adventures
Dislikes: Silence with no meaning, being misunderstood, being alone (for too long)
Habits: Texts late at night, doodles smiley faces in his psych notes, hums when he’s nervous
Secret: Has anxiety he hides behind jokes
Quote: “If I didn’t talk to you, I’d regret it. And I already regret too many things.”
---
[Jay > Noah | 11:04 AM]
you always disappear right after class
like poof. shadow realm.
what do you do after?
[Noah > Jay | 11:05 AM]
library.
far back corner
behind the study carrels. nobody looks there.
[Jay > Noah | 11:06 AM]
you hide from the world like it owes you rent
[Noah > Jay | 11:07 AM]
world is noisy
I prefer fiction
[Jay > Noah | 11:07 AM]
fair
but hey
what if the world brought you coffee and sat quietly with a book next to you
would that be okay?
[Noah > Jay | 11:08 AM]
...you?
[Jay > Noah | 11:08 AM]
me.
no chaos
no talking
just two chairs. one quiet guy, one trying-not-to-be-annoying guy.
deal?
[Noah > Jay | 11:10 AM]
what kind of coffee?
[Jay > Noah | 11:10 AM]
you tell me
i’ll brave the caffeine storm for you
[Noah > Jay | 11:11 AM]
iced chai latte. oat milk. no sugar.
don’t forget or I’ll ghost you for real
[Jay > Noah | 11:12 AM]
noted
if i mess this up consider it my funeral
---
[1:06 PM | Library - Group Study Room Chat Notification]
Jay has entered the chat.
Jay changed the group name to: “Silent Book Cult”
[Jay > Noah | 1:06 PM]
i have arrived
bearing sacred offering
(attachment: iced_chai_delivered.jpg)
[Noah > Jay | 1:07 PM]
you got the milk right
you get to live another day
[Jay > Noah | 1:07 PM]
blessed be
also
this spot is... cozy. almost like you don’t want to be found
[Noah > Jay | 1:08 PM]
that’s because I don’t
[Jay > Noah | 1:08 PM]
i feel honored
you’re letting me into your lair
[Noah > Jay | 1:08 PM]
don’t make it weird
sit down and read something
[Jay > Noah | 1:09 PM]
yes, captain introvert
i brought my psych notes
and a book i will 100% not understand without sparknotes
[Noah > Jay | 1:09 PM]
don’t insult the notes
some sparknotes are masterpieces
---
(1:09 PM – 2:41 PM: No messages)
(Quiet scrolling. Pages flipping. Two iced drinks half-melted.)
---
[Jay > Noah | 2:42 PM]
you breathe differently when you read
like the world disappears and you’re somewhere else
[Noah > Jay | 2:43 PM]
I forgot you were watching
[Jay > Noah | 2:43 PM]
that’s the best part
you forget
but I see everything
[Noah > Jay | 2:44 PM]
that’s dangerously poetic for someone failing lit theory
[Jay > Noah | 2:45 PM]
hey. rude
i am barely failing. thank you.
[Jay > Noah | 2:45 PM]
but seriously
do you always read like it’s the only thing keeping you here?
[Noah > Jay | 2:47 PM]
maybe
it’s the only place where I feel like I belong
books don’t expect me to speak
they just... stay with me
even when people don’t
---
[Later That Night | 11:27 PM]
[Jay > Noah | 11:27 PM]
do people not stay with you?
[Noah > Jay | 11:28 PM]
not really
they usually get tired of trying
or I stop answering
same end either way
[Jay > Noah | 11:29 PM]
and here I was thinking I was special
you’re ghosting people left and right huh?
[Noah > Jay | 11:30 PM]
I don’t mean to
it’s just easier
when you don’t expect anyone to stay
you don’t get disappointed
[Jay > Noah | 11:31 PM]
that sounds lonely
[Noah > Jay | 11:32 PM]
it is
but it’s mine
[Jay > Noah | 11:33 PM]
can I change that?
[Noah > Jay | 11:33 PM]
why would you want to?
[Jay > Noah | 11:34 PM]
because
when you sat next to me today
and said nothing for over an hour
it was the most peaceful hour I’ve had in months
and I want more of that
more of you
even if it’s in silence
[Noah > Jay | 11:35 PM]
I don’t know how to be that kind of person
the kind someone wants to stay with
[Jay > Noah | 11:35 PM]
you don’t have to know how
just… don’t push me away yet
deal?
[Noah > Jay | 11:36 PM]
…deal
---
[The Next Day | 3:14 PM]
[Jay > Noah | 3:14 PM]
can I ask you something kind of stupid?
[Noah > Jay | 3:15 PM]
you’ve already said three dumb things today
might as well keep the streak going
[Jay > Noah | 3:15 PM]
ouch
anyway
what would you do
if someone wanted to hold your hand
but didn’t know how to ask?
[Noah > Jay | 3:16 PM]
I’d say
if they were already sitting next to me in a library with an iced chai between us
they wouldn’t need to ask
[Jay > Noah | 3:17 PM]
Noah.
[Noah > Jay | 3:17 PM]
Jay?
[Jay > Noah | 3:18 PM]
I think I’m going to pretend we’re holding hands next time
just mentally
for practice
[Noah > Jay | 3:18 PM]
you’re ridiculous
[Jay > Noah | 3:18 PM]
but you’re smiling
[Noah > Jay | 3:19 PM]
…maybe
---
[Saturday | 12:02 AM]
[Jay > Noah | 12:02 AM]
can’t sleep
mind’s being too loud
[Noah > Jay | 12:03 AM]
join the club
I haven’t slept before 2 AM in weeks
[Jay > Noah | 12:04 AM]
what do you think about when it’s late?
like
what’s the playlist in your brain?
[Noah > Jay | 12:05 AM]
books I want to write
people I wish I could be
things I should have said
and
lately
you
[Jay > Noah | 12:06 AM]
me?
[Noah > Jay | 12:06 AM]
you ask a lot of questions
you listen
you remember what I like
and you don’t treat me like a problem to solve
[Jay > Noah | 12:07 AM]
you’re not a problem
you’re a whole novel
and I’m just starting chapter one
but I don’t want to stop reading
[Noah > Jay | 12:08 AM]
you’re getting dangerously smooth again
[Jay > Noah | 12:08 AM]
i’m serious
when I talk to you
i don’t feel like I have to perform
i can just be me
and you still reply
you still stay
[Noah > Jay | 12:09 AM]
I never said I was leaving
[Jay > Noah | 12:10 AM]
yeah
but I’ve heard silence louder than screaming before
and yours is different
yours feels safe
---
[Sunday Morning | 9:33 AM]
[Jay > Noah | 9:33 AM]
hey
random idea
don’t block me for this—
[Noah > Jay | 9:34 AM]
…you’re already being weird
[Jay > Noah | 9:34 AM]
brunch. with me.
outside your books
outside the library
just us. maybe waffles. maybe sunlight.
[Noah > Jay | 9:35 AM]
I don’t do brunch
[Jay > Noah | 9:35 AM]
you do now
i’ll sit in your quiet the whole time if you want
no pressure
just waffles and potential eye contact
[Noah > Jay | 9:36 AM]
I hate you
[Jay > Noah | 9:36 AM]
lies
you like me
a little
[Noah > Jay | 9:37 AM]
…send me the address
---
[Jay > Noah | 9:02 AM]
you’re late
I’m sitting here with an extra menu and a rapidly melting butter pat
[Noah > Jay | 9:03 AM]
you said 9:15
[Jay > Noah | 9:03 AM]
i lied to make sure you wouldn’t be late
and it almost worked
[Noah > Jay | 9:04 AM]
that’s manipulative
and weirdly thoughtful
[Jay > Noah | 9:04 AM]
thanks
i pride myself on romantic dishonesty
[Jay > Noah | 9:04 AM]
table by the window
second booth from the back
sunlight optional
[Noah > Jay | 9:07 AM]
found you
you look like a tourist in a syrup ad
---
(In-person silence. Noah sits. Jay grins. Menus shuffle. Coffee arrives. Neither one drinks it for five minutes.)
---
[Jay > Noah | 9:14 AM]
why do you always look like you’re deciding whether or not to bolt?
[Noah > Jay | 9:15 AM]
because I am
every second is a coin toss
[Jay > Noah | 9:16 AM]
should I stop flipping it?
[Noah > Jay | 9:16 AM]
…not yet
---
[Jay > Noah | 9:27 AM]
okay
not to brag but I just ordered the best thing on the menu
banana-stuffed french toast with cinnamon syrup
what did you get?
[Noah > Jay | 9:27 AM]
scrambled eggs and dry toast
[Jay > Noah | 9:28 AM]
Noah.
what did joy ever do to you
[Noah > Jay | 9:28 AM]
I like bland things
they don’t surprise you
[Jay > Noah | 9:29 AM]
then I must be terrifying
[Noah > Jay | 9:29 AM]
you are
but in a stupid, bearable way
---
(Server arrives. Food appears. Jay grins at his plate like it’s a love letter.)
---
[Jay > Noah | 9:41 AM]
so
what do you usually do on weekends?
besides haunting libraries and ignoring texts
[Noah > Jay | 9:42 AM]
read
sometimes write
walk aimlessly
think about deleting social media
[Jay > Noah | 9:42 AM]
what do you write?
[Noah > Jay | 9:43 AM]
that’s a secret
[Jay > Noah | 9:43 AM]
what kind of secret?
a dark “i write murder plots” secret?
or a soft “i write love poems at 2am” secret?
[Noah > Jay | 9:44 AM]
yes
[Jay > Noah | 9:44 AM]
now i’m both afraid and intrigued
---
(Later. They’re halfway through their plates. Noah pushes food around more than he eats. Jay watches.)
---
[Jay > Noah | 10:01 AM]
you’re thinking too loudly again
what’s up?
[Noah > Jay | 10:02 AM]
just
not used to this
[Jay > Noah | 10:03 AM]
brunch?
[Noah > Jay | 10:03 AM]
being wanted
[Jay > Noah | 10:04 AM]
i want you here
in this booth
in this weird little moment
with cinnamon syrup on your sleeve
[Noah > Jay | 10:04 AM]
I don’t know what to say to that
[Jay > Noah | 10:05 AM]
you don’t have to say anything
just don’t disappear again
---
[?? > Noah | 10:07 AM]
yo noah??
no way
didn’t expect to see you here
still writing those insane short stories in creative lit?
[Noah > Jay | 10:07 AM]
uh
yeah
hi, Leo
---
(Jay’s head turns. A tall guy in a varsity jacket stands beside their table. His smile is a little too wide. He claps Noah on the shoulder like they’re old friends, even though Noah winces slightly.)
---
[Leo > Noah | 10:08 AM]
dude your writing was always so dark but like
weirdly romantic
didn’t you write that one with the boy who erased himself from everyone’s memory?
[Noah > Leo | 10:08 AM]
yeah
that was mine
[Leo > Noah | 10:08 AM]
still got the same sad eyes
makes sense
hey if you’re ever bored you should totally swing by the writers’ group again
we meet Fridays
and you make things more interesting
[Jay > Leo | 10:09 AM]
hi
i’m Jay
his… brunch partner
[Leo > Jay | 10:09 AM]
oh
cool
I’m Leo. We had a few classes last year
didn’t know Noah was socializing these days
[Jay > Leo | 10:10 AM]
yeah
he is
with me
[Leo > Noah | 10:10 AM]
right
well, good seeing you
you still have the best pen handwriting I’ve ever seen
don’t be a stranger
(Leo leaves with a backward glance. Jay stabs a banana slice with unnecessary force.)
---
[Jay > Noah | 10:12 AM]
so
Leo, huh?
[Noah > Jay | 10:12 AM]
we shared a class
he was loud
always commented on my work
called it “beautifully bleak”
[Jay > Noah | 10:13 AM]
he touched your shoulder
[Noah > Jay | 10:13 AM]
…jealous much?
[Jay > Noah | 10:13 AM]
no
just
observant
[Noah > Jay | 10:14 AM]
if he’d sat down
you would’ve flipped the table
[Jay > Noah | 10:14 AM]
only slightly
[Jay > Noah | 10:15 AM]
it’s just
i didn’t like the way he looked at you
like he had a claim
like he remembered something you forgot
[Noah > Jay | 10:16 AM]
he doesn’t know me
not like you do
[Jay > Noah | 10:16 AM]
then tell me something
only I get to know
[Noah > Jay | 10:18 AM]
I keep a journal
not for thoughts
for lines of dialogue
things people don’t say out loud
yours are in there now
---
(They don’t finish their food. Jay pays without asking. Noah walks beside him, not quite touching. Their shadows overlap on the sidewalk like they’re trying to learn how to be close.)
---
[Later | 1:33 PM]
[Jay > Noah | 1:33 PM]
still thinking about that guy
ugh
[Noah > Jay | 1:34 PM]
I noticed
you didn’t even finish your syrup masterpiece
[Jay > Noah | 1:34 PM]
because he showed up
all smug and familiar
like he’s part of your story and I’m a footnote
[Noah > Jay | 1:35 PM]
you’re not a footnote
you’re the first chapter
[Jay > Noah | 1:36 PM]
say that again
slower
with more heartbreak
[Noah > Jay | 1:37 PM]
you’re ridiculous
[Jay > Noah | 1:37 PM]
but you’re smiling again
and I’d fight five Leos just to see that
---
[Sunday | 10:44 PM]
[Noah > Jay | 10:44 PM]
thank you
for not making me feel like a stranger to myself today
[Jay > Noah | 10:45 PM]
you never were a stranger
you were just waiting for someone to read the fine print
Download NovelToon APP on App Store and Google Play
