"I chose you."

   Hailley had no idea how many times she heard this from Stephan, his words firm and persistent like a seal that couldn't be washed, it seemed to have been stamped in that unknown booklet, witnessed by all , yet by none. Had she accepted it after hearing it so many times, she wasn't sure either, but her heart was no longer peaceful. She felt his words and persistence circle her like an inextricable shadow following her, tightening with each step. She felt suffocated, strangely she didn't wish to take off this chain, she didn't want to extricate herself from his control, as if her life would no longer be thesame.

She felt life would be empty, pointless and dull if she didn't hear his voice, whispering silently random chats that were neither ambiguous nor romantic, but she found herself enchanted to his voice that was neither a melody, but a cello like familiarity that got her enamored for no apparent reason. His whispers were meritriciouse, but they hooked her and drew her soul towards him, before she could realise it, she felt comfortable beside him, slowly losing her guard, not reluctantly, but voluntarily. She lost her usual calmness beside him, like an addiction, she became moody and gloomy if a day elapsed without seeing his shadow, this addiction puzzled her deeply. Hailley touched her heart and felt the steady and calm heart beat, she was troubled, she had no idea if this was love, she was unsure. She raised her head and looked at the young man beside her, who neither smiled not frowned, but had a confident and calm expression on his handsome face. Yes, he was very handsome, gentle, with lovely eyes that seemed to say a lot, yet she didn't seem to be able to see through him at all.

"But I don't agree." Hailley replied with certainty, though she wasn't sure any longer, but she wasn't senile, she had really never accepted him. Her answer had always been a no, but she had no idea how despite her firm answer she wasn't decisive enough. Hailley pondered with uncertainty with uncertainty, before she could ponder further, his low chuckle interrupted her thoughts.

"When are we getting married?"

He asked with a playful smile, as if he hadn't heard her words just now, it should have annoyed her, but she strangely didn't feel anything. Her heart was helpless, not angered, which made her exasperated, but she didn't walk away either. She was sitting very close to him, but the distance was considered sociable, though it didn't seem quite appropriate. The 'she' in the past would never sit on a two person seat with another man or even woman. However, here she was, sitting very close to him without any discomfort, yet she didn't find it strange.

'They were friends' She reminded herself with an hypnotic mutter in heart, as if breaking the hypnotic charm would completely make her lose herself, but had she?

Hailley looked at Stephan who was still smiling at her playfully, which reminded her of his previouse words.

"It won't happen, I already said there's no future between us?" she reiterated, it had become her usual answer, she wasn't tired of saying it, but he didn't seem tired of hearing it either. It suddenly seemed like a game of chess where she moved back and he chased, but it was still unknown who had the upper hand. There was no expected winner in this game of chess, but there wasn't a loser either, as if the game was stagnant after many years, but the progress was huge, just plagued with uncertainty.

"Why are you so beautiful today, did you sleep in dew last night?"

  Stephan said with an obviouse smile in his eyes, with a tone revealing expectations, she was already quite familiar with that tone which stood as infatuation, yet wasn't the case. It wasn't the first time he had complimented her, neither was it her first time receiving such a compliment from a man. Hailley pursed her lips, not intending to thank him again, repetition seemed to have exhausted her. She playfully played with her phone, revealing that somehow identical tone of his with a playful smile.

"So I wasn't beautiful yesterday ?" Her voice was laced with sarcasm, but it had an obviouse irony, seen at first glance. She wasn't ugly, measuring 1.62 meters talk, she wasn't considered a tall beauty, but she wasn't short either, just that standing beside the 1.78 meters Stephan Smith. As for her beauty, it was unquestionable in the whole school, no staff member could rival it. She had beautiful black wavy hair cascading down her waist, lush and stunning, soft contours that accentuated her oval shape face, small heart shaped lips. With a pear shape, her figure was considered seductive, but her beauty wasn't the seductive type, her calm composure gave off a kind of mystery, enticing men to explore further, yet careful with their approach. A slender waist and a 'B' cup breast which was neither full not small, enough in a hand full.

Was she beautiful ?

Surely no one would deny it, though not a peerless beauty that could move mountains and topple cities, she had a unique special charm that excluded her from her colleagues.

"Just say thank you, it was a compliment, Hailley ?" Stephan added seriousely, ignoring her previouse question.

"Thank you then?" Hailley replied without any resistance, she had no idea how she became so obedient towards him, she did treat him differently. Looking at the three seater chair that could fit three people, yet would be crowded, no one sat in between them and their legs were almost touching.She was already at the edge of the chair, so was he, which was neither close not far. But it didn't fit her usual style, she had either been sitted opposite others or beside them on the other chair, never with them. At least, she couldn't remember being so close to her other male colleagues. Even if they entertaining her, she would barely exchange words with them if they were male and if they were female, it was pretty good to chat with them if they had to take the lead.

Stephan always took the lead and she followed without any resistance, as if his words gave her no chance to resist, not even if it was a chance of refusal.

"So when are we meeting the parents, my mother in-law had probably been waiting for too long, sigh." Stephan sighed helplessly, his eyes pausing on her as if waiting for a respond, or waiting for an answer that would favour. Hailley never gave in, but neither did he, we all kept playing this game of chess but she was playing into his design.

"Hailley, answer me." He spoke like a tide _ not pulling, yet impossible not to follow. His eyes lingered, steady and unreadable, as though measuring the space between her hesitation and obedience.His eyes held hers — not demanding, just certain, and she knew she had given him that certainty long ago, she just didn't know if she couldn't break his confidence or perharps she had no idea how to do it. Perharps she just didn't have the desire to do it, as if it didn't matter. She was tired of correcting him in his adress of her mother.

"Hailley ?" He repeated with a frown, not loudly but enough to stir her emotion. His gentle gaze stayed on her just long enough to make refusal feel unnatural.

"Who's your mother in-law ?" Hailley replied with helplessness, but did it really matter, he would refute anyway.

"Hailley, we're getting old, do you only want us to get married when we're both relying on sticks." He said jokingly with a pained expression, but the smile on his face seemed to be contagiouse, as it had always been.

Of course, Hailley laughed, like he had always made her chuckle even while she had wished to maintain a cold approach on him.

"I'm still young, but it's fine if you want to get married, I'm not holding you back?" She made her stance clear, though she knew it was all for naught.

"Why are you torturing me so much, our future kids are protesting?" Stephan complained with an aggrieved expression, that seemed to have made her see a mini version of himself. In her mind, his voice split in two — the steady tone she heard, and beneath it, a smaller echo asking not to be ignored.

She imagined a younger version of him standing behind his eyes, tugging at the strings.

For a moment, she saw him as a child stacking control like blocks, afraid they might fall.

"Hailley, this dress suits you quite well, did you dress up for me?" Stephan broke her out of her revery, it was as if what she saw a moment ago was an image created by her subconsciouseness, but why would she create such an image in her mind. She never thought of a future with him, she always felt they were just good as friends.

"Blue suits you quite well." He added, looking down at her dress with complecence.

Today she was wearing a blue shirt dress that ran down to her knees, not short, but not too long either. Underneath her gown she was wearing a dark long sleeve turtle neck pull-over that covered her entire arm and neck. The dress held her waist firmly, rather conservative but elegant, giving off a vintage vibe. She knew that he was just glad she had dressed pretty much conservative.

She knew he liked that she belonged to herself first, her restraint made him feel chosen when she softened and nothing about her invited the crowd — and that exclusivity stirred him. Her modesty created a boundary and he liked being allowed past it. He liked how she dressed as though her body were not public property. And the quiet dignity of it stirred something possessive in him.

But she had never dressed indecently, not in the past and she had never intended to do so even in the future. She was just fond of wearing jeans and trousers, to make her feel comfortable and cassual in her outfit. But Stephan seemed to have a strange prejudice about trousers and jeans. His male ego or rather his chauvinistic side felt that a woman couldn't be in trousers with men.

Hailley suddenly realised that she seemed to have subconsciousely dressed to hear him comment in pleasantness.

It wasn’t vanity.

It was anticipation.

Somewhere beneath conscious thought, she had prepared herself for his approval —

as if his pleasant remarks were something she needed to earn.

"...I saw a very beautiful skirt while shopping for clothes, I'll gift it to you." Stephan said as a reminder, as if suddenly recalling his late afternoon stroll in the clothes shop where he spotted the inconspiciouse net maxi flared skirt with flared hem. It wasn't her favourite blue colour, but the yellow skirt would look good on her.

"I don't need it." Hailley caught through his thought with an obviouse rejection, she still wasn't prone to accepting gifts from him. It didn't matter whether the skirt was beautiful or not. That wasn’t her problem, her problem was the quiet implication stitched into it —

that he had imagined her in it before she had. She could already hear the pleasant approval in his voice if she accepted it.

And that was exactly why she couldn’t.

Stephan frowned and looked at her with an uncertainexpression, as if he didn't understand why she actually had to refuse his gift. But it didn't matter to her what he thought at that moment she just didn't want to accept his gift.

"Hailley, you're not being kind."

His expression remained controlled, almost patient — but there was a pause behind his eyes, as though recalculating. He studied her carefully, lips curved in something too measured to be hurt. With not entirely softened, but not entirely calm.

There was a delicate ache in it — one that made her refusal feel heavier than it was.

It made her feel a little guilty and hesitant, as if she hadn't been kind on her refusal, something in her stirred as if she had been wrong, but had she been wrong, she couldn't tell. It felt slightly suffocated, but she didn't want to relent regardless of her complicated feelings.

She pursed her heart shaped lips and lowered her head to look at her phone without giving him another reply, but she felt his lingering gaze on her. It really made it impossible for her to ignore, no matter how hard she tried.

"It's no use trying to convince me, I won't relent." She said, taking off her gaze from her phone and locking it in his eyes, trying to hold his gaze.

Her eyes firmly lifted to hold his, determined but she found his deep gaze already firmly staring into hers— as if his gaze had weight, and her own floated helplessly into it.

Why couldn’t she hold his gaze : his presence drew attention, bending her focus without threat. She had tried to hold his gaze, but it was like looking into a quiet storm —

steady, calm, yet impossible to resist.

Her eyes wavered, and she felt herself pulled toward something she could not name. His gaze was intimidating; with inevitability.

Unable to maintain this gaze game, Hailley lowered her gaze, her quiverring eye lashes reminded her she had lost again. But she didn't feel like she had lost though

it's just that his gaze claimed her for a moment —and yet she felt no chains.She didn’t notice the way it was already threading around her will, because it had not yet tightened. She could easily look away, heart almost fluttering, and told herself she had lost nothing.

And in truth, she hadn’t —

not fully.

She simply hadn’t realized how easily she had already been drawn in.

"I think it's time, don't tell me I withheld you from going to church." Hailley replied standing on her feet before he could even react, but he didn't seem to be surprised. He playfully smiled and she realised her dark hair had just slipped off his slender fingers.

When did he hold my hair ?

She hadn't felt it, as if she had lost all guard once she was sitting beside him.

"Aren't you ?" Stephan replied, directly towering in front of her, his school bag strapped on the side, giving off a cool vibe, with quite a charisma.

"You're the one I've been waiting for, it's already been three years, Hailley ?"

Stephan added, suddenly reminding her that they had known each other for three years now, but when exactly did everything start.

"Stephan, what's our relationship right now ?" Hailley asked also completely unsure herself. It could be said they were friends, but it seemed more like a reminder to keep herself from being misunderstood. However when she looked arround the canteen at the few people present, she felt lost.

Hailley’s eyes drifted across the canteen — colleagues, casual chatter, the hum of routine. And yet, nothing anchored her thoughts except the quiet gravity of Stéphan beside her. She reminded herself — we are friends, she repeated like a mantra —

but her body remembered a closeness her mind did not. She felt unmoored, suspended between what she knew and what she felt a small boat drifting on waters she didn’t understand.

When did it start, how did it come to this, was it wrong or right?

Hailley tried to recall why and how she found herself in this situation with Stephan, but it should have been three years ago.

Hailley stared deeply at the canteen — at the few people, the casual noise, the ordinary movements — and for the first time, she tried to trace the steps that had led her here.

When had it begun?

The lunches where his glance lingered too long, the subtle words that felt like guidance,

the moments that seemed harmless at first, yet had slowly shaped the space between them?

She couldn’t name the exact day, the exact conversation.

And perhaps that was the truth — there was no single beginning.

Only a slow tightening of threads she hadn’t realized she was following.

How had it all begun?

She searched her mind for the moment she had first noticed the way his voice commanded yet invited, the moment she had first found herself arranging her own choices around him.

But memory offered nothing clear — only echoes, threads she could not untangle.

Standing there, breath almost brushing his, she realized that perhaps there was no first step.

Only the path she had walked willingly, unknowingly, to this precise point.

It was on that day...

If she had to retrace the thread, Hailley suppose it started on an ordinary morning.

There was nothing dramatic about their beginning, because they were both strangers who had known each other for six years, but both were to busy to notice the other. He worked as a bus driver. He worked in an All-through school barely ten minutes away from her home.

 Hailley’s home stood along the familiar road that the school bus followed every morning and afternoon — modest, open, and deeply woven into the life of the neighborhood.

It was a four-bedroom house, simple but steady, its walls softened by years of sun and dust. The compound had no fence, so the yard flowed directly into the street. Nothing separated their home from the outside world. People passing by could greet whoever was seated on the veranda. Children sometimes cut across the front yard without hesitation. Life brushed closely against their doorstep.

Inside, the house was full.

Two parlours shaped its rhythm. The front parlour was for visitors — neat chairs arranged carefully, curtains drawn just right, everything kept in order as if always prepared for company. The second parlour, deeper inside, carried the warmth of everyday life. That was where the family gathered in the evenings, where television sounds mixed with conversation, where siblings argued and laughed, where tired bodies sank into sofas after long days.

The kitchen was rarely quiet. It carried the comforting scent of spices, warm oil, and simmering meals. In the mornings, it was alive with urgency — cupboard doors opening, spoons clinking against cups, her mother giving instructions while stirring a pot.

The house had two bathrooms, practical and constantly in use, because in a home filled with parents and siblings, privacy was a luxury negotiated daily.

Right beside the house — almost attached to it — stood her mother’s small cosmetic store.

It wasn’t large, but it was colorful.

Shelves lined the walls, holding lotions, body creams, perfumes, lip glosses, powders, hair extensions, and small beauty accessories neatly arranged in rows. The faint scent of perfume drifted outside whenever the door was open, blending with the dusty street air. Brightly colored product packaging made the small shop glow, especially in the late afternoon light.

There was no fence dividing the store from the house, just nine to ten steps away from each other. Business and family life existed side by side. Women from the neighborhood stopped by to ask about new creams. Young girls came to admire lipsticks they hoped to buy someday. Coins clinked softly into a container. Conversations about beauty, marriage, and daily struggles flowed easily.

And every day, the school bus passed directly in front of the house.

The sound of its engine would approach from a distance — steady, recognizable. It would slow down near the compound to pick up children nearby, tires crunching lightly against the roadside gravel.

Sometimes she would be in the yard. Sometimes near her mother’s cosmetic shelves. Sometimes inside the parlour by the window.

She never bothered about the sound or busy activity of the school bus, but she had counted their number in her boredom, recognizing a few regular bus drivers, but never paying attention to them.

The bus always moved on.

They were both strangers before then, each person busy with their affairs, even if she had passed beside him, she wouldn't have looked his way, neither would he. He would have walked away in composure, looking through his phone. On the other hand she had always been cold and nonchalant about her sorrounding, minding her life. She shuffled between school and her internship location, never free to let her mind or eyes wander arround. All that mattered was her studies, which made her life busy but fulfilling with the company of friends and class mates. A moment of freedom was an immense luxery for her, but she never wasting a single moment to wander outside.

She was a member of that warm home, but people could barely trace her presence amongst her parents other five children. Her elder brother was very sociable, her junior sister loved to explore and make friends arround her, while their fourth sister was as quiet as her, likely even more silent. Then when it came to the two youngest siblings, who wouldn't know about their naughty parade in the neighborhood.

Hailley's life had been quiet and peaceful without worries, but everything eventually ceased when she finally graduated from university and found it difficult to get a job.

Before the job came, Hailley carried frustration quietly — the kind that settles deep and refuses to leave.

Each morning felt heavier than the last. She would wake up in a house already alive with movement — her mother opening the cosmetic store, her siblings preparing for school, her father stepping out with purpose — and she would feel suspended in between. Not a student anymore. Not yet employed. Just present.

People began to ask questions.

“Any news?”

“Have you found something yet?”

“You’re still at home?”

They were simple questions, but each one pressed against her pride. She had certificates. She had hope. She had sent applications. She had waited for calls that never came. Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, while her confidence began to thin like fabric worn too often.

She helped her mother in the cosmetic shop sometimes, arranging lotions and perfumes, smiling at customers — but inside, she felt restless. She didn’t want to remain in the shadow of her family’s work. She wanted something that was hers. Something that made her step out of the house with intention.

There were evenings when she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, wondering if she had overestimated herself. If perhaps she wasn’t as capable as she believed. The worst part wasn’t laziness — it was the waiting. The feeling of being stuck while the world kept moving.

Then her aunty stepped in.

Her mother’s sister, who worked as a cook in the school canteen, had been observing quietly. She saw Hailey’s discouragement. Saw the way her laughter had grown thinner. And one day, casually but decisively, she said she would speak to the school administration.

It wasn’t a grand promise. It was simple. “I will talk to them.”

Hailley didn’t allow herself to hope too much. She had already been disappointed before.

But when the news came — that there was an opening for a cashier in the staff canteen — something inside her ignited.

A job. A real job. A position with responsibility.

The day she was told she had been accepted, she could hardly contain her joy. She felt chosen, seen, validated. The weight she had been carrying loosened instantly. She would finally have her own income. Her own routine. Her own space in the world outside her home.

She thanked her aunty repeatedly, almost shyly, almost tearfully. Gratitude filled her in waves. It wasn’t just employment — it was dignity restored.

She prepared for her first day with nervous excitement. New clothes carefully ironed. Hair neatly done. Heart beating with anticipation.

She didn’t know that in that same school compound, a primary school bus driver named Stephan had already been working for some time.

She didn’t know their paths would cross daily.

At that moment, all she knew was relief.

Relief that she would no longer wake up feeling useless. Relief that she had somewhere to go each morning. Relief that her life was finally beginning to move.

She stepped into the school gates thinking she was simply starting a job. She had no idea she was stepping into something much more complicated.

School hadn't reopened yet after a whole summer holiday, the gates of the school hadn't reopened yet. It was a weekend morning when her aunty walked into the door of their home asking for a favour from her. The school canteen had been left unattended for quite long, dust had without doubt settled on chairs and kitchen utensils. Her aunty had been incharged of the cleaning every year with her other colleague, but due to an urgency she might not make it for the cleaning.

Hailley had been sent hurriedly — by her aunty, who had left hurriedly after leaving the a bunch of keys she reckoned should be the canteen's keys. Hailley lowered her eyes and looked at the ice cold keys, recalling her aunty's last word before she stepped out of the door. “Just clean the canteen today,” her aunty had said, “I’ll take care of everything else when I return.”

Hailley arrived infront of the canteen,with no broom in hand, her aunt said everything was available in school for her own use. She was dressed cassually in a pair of black regular fit jeans, paired with a simple black t-shirt that slightly hugged her body. On her feet she cassually wore a pair of flip flops to make cleaning easier. Her long black hair was tied into a cassual but neat bun. It wasn't the first time she had done the cleaning job, because it was a daily routine at home so she quickly organized the chairs scattered arround.

She then picked the broom and started methodically, sweeping and wiping, trying to lose herself in the task. The smell of polish mixed with the lingering scent of breakfast meals from before. Time moved slowly. She didn’t expect anyone else — until the colleague’s daughter arrived later in the morning, bright and cheerful, bringing life back to the otherwise silent canteen.

"Good morning, you're Hailey William right?" The young girls crisp voice brought Hailley out of her concentration.

Standing by the door was a girl closer to her age but she wasn't quite sure, because she wasn't good at making these sorts of discernement. The girl had a cheerful smile, shoulder length hair, with a light makeup accentuating her delicate features.

The girl was cheerful, her laughter bubbling as she stepped inside, brushing a lock of shoulder-length hair behind her ear. She moved wshoulder-length that seemed to carry warmth into the otherwise empty canteen, her energy contagious.

"Hi Hailley, I'm Lila James, nice to meet you." Lila extended her hands towards her with a cheerful smile, which Hailley didn't hesitate to take into hers.

"Hailley William."

As Lila’s hand lingered in hers, Hailley felt a small warmth travel up her arm. Lila… she thought, letting the name roll quietly in her mind. It suits her. Light, cheerful, effortless… like she belongs in the sun. Her shoulder-length hair, the way she smiles, even the way her laugh carries — it all fits the name perfectly.

The world around them seemed to soften, the hum of the empty canteen fading into the background. Hailley’s gaze stayed on Lila’s face, and in that brief, suspended moment, the name became more than just a label. It felt like a small glimpse into who she was — delicate, bright, impossible to overlook, and somehow already impossible to forget.

Even as they let go of each other’s hands, Hailley returned to her occupation without any thought. She had always been an introvert. If no one spoke to her, she wouldn't care about them either. She just wanted to accomplish her task and leave as soon as possible Thinking about the translation work she had left at home, Hailey hastened a little more while Lila left for God knows where.

While she was half way done with her wiping of tables, the doors of the canteen opened and she instinctively raised her sweaty face to look at that direction.

And then, she saw him.

Stephan Smith

He was moving through the canteen with the ease of someone who knew the rhythm of the school but was never part of its formal order. The first thing she noticed was the calm in his presence — steady, unobtrusive, but impossible to ignore. Perhaps it was the way he adjusted a chair, the way his gaze swept the room in casual observation, while speaking on phone with calm and composure.

Her gaze briefly swept on him before she quietly lowered her head to continue with her cleaning, as if no one had just walked in. He didn't seem to have noticed that there was someone at the corner, unintentionally hidden behind, because he took a sit by the window and continued his conversation on phone.

Hailley had wiped every table, before she realised it, she was standing in front of him, looking at his lowered head on his phone, she frowned.

'Why is this guy here, can't he see I'm cleaning?' She was annoyed that someone was in her way, but she didn't speak, she skipped to the other table. Unknown to her he raised his head and looked at her direction with a hint of surprise, as if not expecting her presence.

 Hailley didn't notice how his eyes held a quiet attentiveness, as if he could see the minutiae of her actions without judgment. Stephan noticed how she moved with care, how even she seemed precise and deliberate in her task with familiarity. Her nonchalant gaze focused on cleaning, completely ignoring the additional individual.

'Is she trying to ignore my presence.' He thought to himself, finding it rather intriguing, but he didn't comment either.

He knew her, at least he had brushed past her a few times but never exchanged a word with her. She always seemed to be rushing somewhere, never interacting much with others .When he had walked in here, he hadn't much looked at her direction because he confirmed to himself the only person present was Lila whom he had spotted outside from a distance.

After a brief glance, he withdrew his gaze and continued to play with his phone, not saying a word, no one spoke. However, Hailley felt a little pressured to find herself in an isolated room with an unknown man.

By the time the colleague’s daughter returned, Hailley felt a strange mix of relief and curiosity. The canteen, so often just her aunty’s domain or a workplace of routine, had shifted subtly — it had become a place of possibility.

"Ah, you're almost done?" Lila jogged towards her and carefully looked arround.

"There's not much left here, you had done most of the work. I'm very sorry for the delay Hailley, you can leave the rest to me, Hailley." Lila said, snatching the rag from Hailley, which she gladly let go.

"Then I'll have to trouble you with the rest." Hailley was glad to be relieved of her duties, while Lila felt a little guilty, Hailley had done most of the job.

"I don't think it's any trouble for this lazy girl?" A cello like voice from behind reminded Hailley of that manly presence she had tried so much to ignore.

Hailley felt the subtle shift in space as he stood behind Lila. She glanced up and saw him — tall, steady, left hand relaxed clenching a phone at his side, while his other hand loosely held his bag strap. His posture was plain, unassuming, almost careful, as if he didn’t want to draw attention. His eyes briefly swept the room, polite but distant, and his presence felt calm, neither intrusive nor particularly striking.

Her first impression of him was simple: ordinary, composed, a quiet background to the bright energy of Lila. Nothing about him stirred her curiosity — at least, not yet.

"Stephan Smith, how could you say something like that about me, you're horrible." Lila jokingly rage brought an almost unoticeable smile in her eyes, but his composure was still calm and cassual.

"How horrible could it be, we're not in a horror movie." He replied sarcastically, neither annoying nor jokingly, like a fact that couldn't be denied. He didn't bicker with the cheerful and sunny Lila, countering her words with cassual remarks that only exasperated the other. From their interaction, Hailley could deduce they weren't unfamiliar to each.

Regardless, she didn't care.

"I'll be leaving then." She walked away, neither looking back not her steps faltering, leaving behind what ever scene went on in her absence.

"Why are you even here...? " Lila's voice echoed behind before she had closed the floor to ceiling glass door. She looked arround the quite school campus imagining what it would look like on school reopening.

"Mon épouse !"

"Mon épouse !"

That familiar form of address caused Hailley to pause in her steps, not because she had agreed to that title, but because she knew the owner of the voice. She wasn't the first he had entitled as 'mon épouse', meaning 'my wife' in english translation.

Brian Yong

She knew him, not quite well, but she had interacted with him in rare occasions, both familiar yet unfamiliar.

He had a natural humor that never felt forced. The kind that slipped into conversations effortlessly, catching people off guard and leaving them smiling long after. He wasn’t loud, never exaggerated his gestures, never performed for attention — but somehow, he was always the reason laughter lingered in the air.

Children gravitated toward him instinctively. He spoke to them at eye level, listened to their endless stories as if they were important news, and remembered small details about them — a missing tooth, a new backpack, a fear of loud noises. They trusted him.

With playful affection, he would sometimes call even the tiniest nursery child “mon épouse,” stretching the words dramatically as they giggled and ran away in mock embarrassment. It was never inappropriate, only lighthearted — a harmless joke wrapped in warmth, the kind that made the children feel seen and special.

He carried friendliness like second nature. He greeted everyone — teachers, drivers, cleaners — with the same easy smile. Conversations with him felt relaxed, unpressured. He didn’t try to dominate a room; he simply made it softer.

There was something steady beneath the humor, too. His jokes never crossed lines, never belittled anyone. They were gentle, inclusive, and full of life — like sparks, not fireworks.

He wasn’t a clown.

He was simply someone who understood that a little laughter makes even ordinary days feel lighter.

She was already familiar and accostumed with his address, though at times she felt he was serious, really hoping to legalise that form of adress, but she wasn't sure, but she always took it for a joke. With a joke she rejected his advances when he asked to love her and bring her to his home. She didn't want to explore further if he was joking or seriouse, just interacting with him when needed was enough for her.

"Mon épouse, why are you here, looking for me?" He said, but she vaguely felt his words were laced with expectations, but she couldn't be bothered to discern.

"Just helping my aunt do some clean up in the canteen." Hailley explained briefly, too lazy to add any further explanation.

"Right, I heard you're the new cashier in school, but I wasn't they were referring to you." Brian said with a sudden realisation, she wasn't surprised he knew about it either. Brian Yong is an old employee, he had been driving as the school bus driver from the moment the school opened.

A veteran

Hailley thought to herself, silently agreeing to his words without offering a word.

"I guess we're colleague now."

Yes, they were colleague, well not yet but probably not very long before she steps into the school premises as an official cashier.

"Yes." Hailley replied dryly, she had always been reticent, so Brian didn't seem to be bothered by her nonchalance. After exchanging a few pleasanteries, with him talking and Hailley answering dryly.

"Alright, see you soon."

Soon

Her life would take another turn, sorrounded by colleagues, clients, the spicy fragrance wafting in the air from frying, roasting of food. She hadn't studied in school to find herself behind the counter as a cashier, but had a certificate in marketing. But life at times was all about convenience, as for what the future held for her.

'Let's take one step at a time.'

Hailley thought to herself as she pushed open the gates of the school campus and walked out, leaving behind whatever scene and situation she didn't participate in.

"You're already back." Hailley was welcomed at the door by her junior sister who was cassually sipping her fruit juice. This was the sister that followed her directly, people said they looked alike, but she didn't think so.

Laura William, was four years younger than her, had just graduated from secondary school, preparing to study medecin. She had an hour glass dream figure, slightly shorter than her, sparkling amber hair that ran down to her waist. Dressed in crop top with a pair of shorts, her smooth thighs were exposed to all view, while her amber hair was styled delicately.

Laura had always been very particular about her image, always trying to look beautiful at every occasion. Unlike her cassual self, Laura loved to be pretty, not just in thought, she was very beautiful and curvier than her.

"So how did it go?" Laura tilted her head with an expectant gaze, but Hailley couldn't understand what she was expecting.

"Nothing, it's not like I had to start working today." Hailley said helplessly, looking at her silly sister who had always been smarter than them, despite her young age.

"True, don't mind me, I'm just bored." She waved and walked in the house while slowly sipping her fruit juice, leaving Hailley still standing in front of the door. She had no intention of following her in, so she turned with intention of walking towards her mother's cosmetic shop.

Hailley stepped out of the compound with the quiet familiarity of routine guiding her feet. The morning air was warm, carrying the faint scent of dust and distant cooking fires. She adjusted the strap of her bag and turned toward her mother’s small cosmetic shop beside the house, already thinking about the shelves that needed rearranging.

She didn’t expect anyone directly in her path.

So when she turned the corner of their compound to the street she had thought empty a moment ago, she nearly walked straight into someone, she stopped abruptly.

It was Stephan.

For a brief second, they stood face to face — closer than usual, close enough for her to notice the slight pause in his breathing. His eyes widened, not dramatically, but with a flicker of surprise that softened quickly into recognition.

“Hailley,” he said, her name sounding almost accidental on his lips.

She blinked once, steadying herself. There was no rush of warmth in her chest. No sudden awareness. Just a simple recognition — Oh. It’s him.

“Sorry,” she appologized politely, her voice even, composed, as if making up for her earlier ignorance in the canteen, they hadn't said a word to each other.

To her, the moment felt ordinary. A small coincidence on an open street. She noticed the faint scent of engine oil clinging to him, the way he seemed as though he had been about to say something more. But nothing in her shifted. No spark. No lingering curiosity. Just the natural acknowledgment of someone she had met not long ago.

She gave a small nod and stepped around him with quiet ease.

He, however, remained still for half a heartbeat longer than necessary.

There had been something in the way she looked up — calm, unaware, untouched by the tension he suddenly felt. For him, the closeness had been electric in its surprise. For her, it was simply a passing moment.

By the time she reached the cosmetic shop and pushed the door open, the encounter had already begun to dissolve in her mind.

But for Stephane, it lingered, his eyes flickered with a glimmer, perharps it was curiosity or an unknown familiarity.

"Stephan, why are you here?" Hailley was no longer present, her elder brother who was barely a year older than her just walked out.

"What are you doing beside my house, what were talking about with my kid sister?"

Damian William, Hailley's elder brother walked out, just in time to see Hailley walk away from Stephan after a cassual nod. He had no idea what they talked about, but they was no suspicion in his narrowed eyes, as if sure that his nonchalant sister wouldn't care about Stephan.

Stephan had been mid-sentence when he noticed it — that look on her brother’s face.

It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t even protective hostility.

It was disbelief.

A slow, almost amused narrowing of the eyes, as if the very idea was impossible. As if someone had just suggested the sky might turn green tomorrow. Hailley? Interested in a man? The thought clearly didn’t belong in his understanding of his sister.

Stephan caught it instantly.

For a fleeting second, his expression shifted — not dramatically, but enough. The faint curve at the corner of his lips paused. His jaw tightened ever so slightly. His eyes flickered with something restrained — a quiet sting to his pride, though he would never admit it.

Because he understood what that look meant.

It meant Hailley’s nonchalance had been convincing. It meant her calm distance had built a reputation. It meant people saw her as composed, detached — maybe even cold.

And suddenly, he wondered if he had imagined everything.

His posture straightened subtly, as if bracing himself. He didn’t challenge the brother’s expression. He didn’t defend himself. Instead, he let out a small, controlled smile — polite, unreadable.

But in his eyes, there was a brief shadow of something else.

Not insecurity exactly.

More like realization.

Realization that whatever he felt might be one-sided. Realization that perhaps she truly gave nothing away. Realization that to the world — even to her own family — she did not appear as someone who could be moved easily.

However ,Stephan’s usual easy humor didn't fade.

But inside, something had shifted.

"She's your sister?" Stephan said with uncertainty, he knew about Hailley's existence, but he had no idea she was Damian's sister, perharps because of their different personality or gender, they didn't look much alike.

"Yes, my junior sister, do you know her?"

"Maybe, we met in school today." Stephan replied, adjusting his bag straps while maintaining the flow of conversation between he and Damian.

"That's right, she went there for a clean up." Damian said with a sudden realisation, he wasn't home when their aunty came, but when he realised his sister's absence, he had asked his mother about it and knew she left early to help their aunty do some clean up at the school canteen.

"Why did you seem so guarded a moment ago, are you afraid I'll steal your sister?" Stephan cassually commented, looking at Damian's expression that said 'I don't think it's possible '

Stephan couldn't be bothered.

"Do you want to become my brother in-law." Damian had always spoke jokingly, Stephan also knew he wasn't seriouse, so he replied lazily with a smile.

"Are you inviting me?"

"Don't bother, look elsewhere, don't look at my sister." Damian said without much thought, Stephan didn't insist on his opinion either.

His tone was light, almost teasing, but there was something protective hidden beneath it.

Stephan let out a short laugh, raising both hands slightly in mock surrender. “Relax,” he said easily. “I’m not looking at anyone.”

It sounded like agreement.

But it wasn’t quite it.

His smile lingered a second too long — not challenging, not defensive, just unreadable. There was no denial in his voice, only smooth reassurance. He didn’t promise. He didn’t swear. He simply deflected.

Damian chuckled, satisfied. “Good.”

Stephan nodded once. “Your sister’s safe.”

The words were calm. Measured.

Yet inside, something in him resisted the simplicity of that agreement.

Because he hadn’t said he wouldn’t look.

He had only said he wasn’t.

And those were two very different things.

“Hailley works hard,” Stephan added casually. “She’s quiet though. Doesn’t talk much.”

It was framed as observation, not inquiry.

Damian snorted lightly. “That’s just how she is.”

“Always been like that?” Stephan asked, as if genuinely curious about personality, not probing.

“Yeah. She keeps to herself. Not really… into distractions.”

The word lingered.

Stephan tilted his head slightly. “Focused type.”

“Exactly.”

He nodded again, absorbing it without reacting too much.

“She doesn’t seem like someone who lets people get too close,” Stephan said, tone neutral, almost analytical.

Damian crossed his arms. “She doesn’t, she's more of an introvert.”

There it was.

Not forced. Not extracted. Offered.

Stephan gave a soft laugh, shaking his head as if amused. “Probably a good thing. Less drama.”

Damian agreed quickly. “Yeah. She’s not a headache like me, my mother reminds me everyday.”

Stephan’s smile didn’t change — but something sharpened quietly behind it.

“I can see that,” he replied calmly. “She seems… particular.”

He didn’t ask if she was seeing anyone. He didn’t ask what she liked. He didn’t ask what she felt.

He didn’t need to.

By the time Damian left, the conversation felt ordinary. Two men talking about family, about roads, about personalities. Nothing invasive. Nothing suspicious.

But Stephan had learned exactly what he wanted:

She was reserved. She wasn’t easily swayed. Her family saw her as emotionally distant. She wasn’t known for entertaining men.

And most importantly —

If anything ever happened between them, it wouldn’t be obvious.

Stephan watched Damian walk away, expression composed.

He hadn’t interrogated.

He hadn’t pried.

He had simply let Damian talk.

And Damian never realized he had said more than he intended.

He never meant to probe, but some how, Hailley had stirred something in him that he couldn't ignore. He felt that she was the one, but he couldn't confirm it with just thoughts, but he was glad they were colleagues.

.....

Contrary to Stephan, Hailley had already forgotten about the earlier scenario, she was already helping her mother organise the new products that arrived this morning. She might be spending less time in this shop that kept her company while she was jobless.

On Monday she would start work very early, it would be a lie to say that she wasn't nervouse, after all she didn't have much an experience in cashier. Everything would be a new found experience for her, but she wasn't about to give up, she had to gather experience and try to communicate more with others. Her greatest difficulty was probably communication, she could interact and communicate easily with her family, but it was different when it came to outsiders.

It made her very nervouse

Taking a deep breath she decided to avoid thinking too much about it, she was going to have to learn how to face the world sooner or later, she couldn't rely on her family for the rest of her life, right.

Certainly not.

"Good morning, isn't your mother here?" Hailley was brought out of her thought by the entery of a customer, she knew this woman, though not quite much.

"Good morning ma'am, no, my mum went out for a while, do you need something, maybe I can help ?" The woman hesitated a little, as if unsure if Hailley would really meet her needs.

"Forget it, I'll come back later, you might not understand."

Hailley nodded at her reply, not intending to convince her either, she might have studied marketing but she had to admit she was bad at communication, but she was really helpless about it.

There were times she really wished she were an extrovert like her friends and class mates, but she couldn't become them, just because she made the wish.

Hailley watched the woman walk away before she sat on the swivel chair behind the counter, she picked up her mother's holy bible and flipped a few pages before she started studying it dilligently. It had been a few months since her baptism, though she was a born again christian, she knew they were still a lot she needed to learn.

As for what would happen on Monday, Hailley was both excited and nervouse, it wasn't easy to adjust her emotions.

......~......~......

Monday seemed to be long, but before she realised it, it was already Monday, Hailley sat behind the counter with sweaty palms, it was still early, apart from the cooks and the a few waitress, there wasn't much activity in the school canteen.

From her position she could see through the floor to ceiling door of the canteen, she looked out with no interest, just waiting.

Waiting for what exactly ?