Tears and Serets

There is always a time in life when we feel hiding our pain from those closest to us is the best choice. We do not want to trouble them or make them worry. But life rarely follows the plans we make.

                  Chapter 5

             Tears and Secrets

As the days passed, Dragon and Princess had become almost like strangers.

They no longer spent time together the way they once had. At most, they exchanged a formal “good morning” or “good night.” Sometimes, not even that. Silence had quietly taken the place of laughter.

Perhaps fate wanted them apart for a while, to teach them lessons life often gives only through distance. Perhaps it wished to strengthen their bond through hardship. Besides, both of them had their own relationships to care for.

Then came the college trip.

The students were sent to another state for an entire month. Since Dragon and Princess belonged to different departments, they were separated most of the time there as well. Dragon stayed mostly with his friends, while Princess remained with hers.

Meanwhile, Bsmtry’s relationship with his girlfriend was beginning to suffer.

The place where they stayed had poor network coverage, and calls rarely connected. Messages were delayed or never delivered. With time and distance growing between them, frustration slowly crept into the relationship.

Bsmtry found himself trapped between worry and helplessness.

Still, his friends were always there. Whenever tension weighed him down, Chang and Gara would turn it into laughter.

Even during the trip, they still had classes to attend, projects to complete, and reports to prepare. Like every student knew—where there is fun, consequences follow.

Bsmtry and his friends made the most of their days. They climbed mountains, went hiking, visited factories, and explored new places—all while somehow managing to keep up with assignments.

Princess was enjoying herself too.

She spent time with her boyfriend, going to restaurants, trying new dishes—Princess was a true food lover—and visiting shopping malls. Along with Par and her boyfriend, they often went on double dates.

For a while, everything seemed perfect.

But there is a saying: too much sugar in tea is bad for health. In the same way, too much happiness often comes with a hidden price.

Days passed quickly, filled with classes, travel, laughter, and unfinished assignments. Soon, the month came to an end, and everyone returned home.

Throughout the trip, Dragon and Princess had barely spent any meaningful time together.

When college resumed, life returned to normal.

But for Dragon, nothing felt normal anymore.

The trip had ruined his relationship. In short, he and his girlfriend had broken up.

He was left in pain, confused, replaying everything in his mind. Where had things gone wrong? When had they started falling apart? He no longer laughed the way he used to. He preferred staying alone and found it hard to focus on anything.

Still, when one has friends like Chang and Gara, there is never such a thing as an ordinary day.

Through jokes, mischief, and endless attempts to cheer him up, they slowly pulled Dragon back toward himself.

Thanks to them, he recovered faster than he expected.

Yet during that difficult time, Dragon made one decision—

He would not involve Princess in his sadness.

He did not want to burden her with his pain or make her worry. So he kept his distance. He stopped calling. Stopped texting. Sometimes he left before she arrived. Other times, he reached class early just to avoid seeing her.

He knew he could not hide forever.

But he tried.

One day, during a short break, Bsmtry was sitting alone in the classroom.

Princess entered quietly and walked toward him.

Since they had avoided each other for so long, neither of them knew how to begin. They sat side by side in silence, pretending to look at their phones, occasionally glancing at one another.

Then their eyes met.

Her eyes were teary, as if she might cry at any moment.

After a long silence, Princess spoke first.

“How are you? It has been a while since we sat like this.”

Dragon smiled faintly.

“How are you?”

“I’m good. And you?”

“Like always,” he said with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes.

Princess simply looked at him.

“It really has been a while,” Dragon said with an awkward laugh.

“Yes,” she replied softly. “It has.”

Then he asked, “So… how are things with your boyfriend?”

Princess fell silent.

Dragon’s expression changed.

“Is everything okay?”

She nodded slowly, then said, “We broke up.”

Dragon stared at her in shock.

“How? When?”

“Soon after coming back from the trip.”

“Are you okay?”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then smiled gently.

“Yes. I’m okay now.”

Dragon lowered his gaze.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Princess answered quietly.

“We hadn’t been able to see each other for a while. And I didn’t want to trouble you.”

“But still… you could have called me or texted me, right?”

The words left his mouth before he realized what he had said.

A long silence followed.

Because that was exactly what he had done to her.

Princess only smiled.

Dragon looked down, filled with regret.

“I’m sorry, Princess.”

Before anything more could be said, the bell rang.

Princess stood, gave him a small wave, and returned to her class.

Dragon watched her leave.

Only then did he understand how lost he had been in his own pain. He had assumed everything was fine with her while shutting her out completely.

He had failed to share his sorrow.

And he had failed to stand beside her in hers.

During lunch break, Dragon went to Princess’s classroom.

He invited her to eat with the group, but she refused, saying she was not hungry. Even when Par insisted, she declined.

Understanding the situation, the others quietly left, telling Dragon to stay while they brought food back later.

Soon, the classroom was empty.

It felt like old times again.

Dragon sat beside her and lowered his head.

“Sorry.”

Princess blinked.

“For what?”

“For not being there when you were hurting.”

She smiled.

“It’s okay.”

“And sorry again… for not telling you about my breakup.”

Princess turned sharply toward him.

“What? When did that happen?”

“After the trip.”

He told her everything—how it happened, why it happened, and how badly it had affected him.

Princess listened carefully.

“You two looked like such a good couple,” she said. “I never thought things would end like that.”

Dragon gave a small laugh.

“Things never go the way we plan.”

She looked at him with concern.

“Are you okay now?”

“Yes,” he said with a genuine smile. “Thanks to Chang and Gara.”

Princess smiled warmly.

“They’re really good friends.”

“They are.”

“And for me,” she said, “Par was there the whole time. Thanks to her, I’m okay now.”

She began telling him how Par had comforted her, stayed by her side, and cared for her like family.

Dragon laughed.

“She sounds more like your mother than your friend.”

Princess laughed too.

“Maybe from tomorrow, I should start calling her Mom.”

For the first time in a long while, they laughed together again.

Soon, the others returned carrying chips and cold drinks.

The room filled with jokes, teasing, and loud laughter once more. Time passed so quickly that none of them noticed until the break was over.

Then everyone returned to their respective classes.

That day, both Dragon and Princess learned something important.

What is gone is gone.

There is no use clinging to the past and letting it poison the future.

And now, with no more secrets between them, everything slowly returned to how it once was.

Only better.

The bond between Dragon and Princess had been restored—

and this time, it was stronger than before.

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