ch .3 Between us

Xin Ran

The rumor started before lunch.

Xin Ran heard it in pieces—whispers drifting across the classroom, unfinished sentences that stopped when she walked past. She tried to ignore it until she caught her name.

“Xin Ran and Qin Yang—”

Her fingers tightened around her pen.

At lunch, Qin Yang wasn’t alone.

A girl from another class sat across from him, laughing loudly, leaning forward like she belonged there ,she always tries to lean on Qin yang. Xin Ran slowed her steps, heart sinking. She told herself not to assume anything.

He’s allowed to sit with whoever he wants.

She chose a seat farther away than usual.

Qin Yang

I didn’t invite her.

The girl—Liu Mei—had just sat down and started talking before I could stop her. I nodded politely, waiting for the moment to escape. Then I looked up and saw Xin Ran.

She didn’t sit next to me.

That was new.



I felt a strange twist in my chest. I tried to catch her eye, but she kept looking at her phone.

Did I do something wrong?

Xin Ran

Qin Yang laughed at something the girl said. It wasn’t his usual laugh, but it still hurt. Xin Ran poked at her food, appetite gone.

She remembered the umbrella.

The tea.

The way he always waited for her.

Maybe she had misunderstood everything.

Qin Yang

Why does today feel so long?

When lunch ended, Xin Ran left quickly. I followed her without thinking.

“Xin Ran,” I called.

She stopped but didn’t turn around right away.

Xin Ran

She faced him, forcing a smile. “What is it?”

“You didn’t sit with us today.”

Us.

Her chest tightened. “You seemed busy.”

He frowned slightly. “You could’ve joined.”

She nodded, unsure what to say.

Qin Yang

She sounded distant.

I wanted to explain, but I didn’t even know what I was explaining. Still, the idea of her pulling away bothered me more than it should have.

After school, she walked faster than usual. I caught up, matching her pace.

“Did I upset you?” I asked.

Xin Ran

She stopped.

“No,” she said quickly. Too quickly. “It’s nothing.”

But it wasn’t nothing.

She looked down. “You don’t have to walk with me every day.”

Qin Yang

That hurt.

“I want to,” I said before thinking.

Her eyes widened.

The silence between us felt heavy, like it was filled with all the things we weren’t saying.

Xin Ran

Her heart raced.

She wanted to ask.

She wanted to say it.

Instead, she nodded.

Qin Yang

At the crossing, neither of us moved.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said, softer than usual.

She nodded. “Tomorrow.”

As she walked away, I realized something clearly for the first time.

I don’t like the distance between us.

Together

They went home with the same thought echoing in their minds:

If we don’t speak soon…

we might miss each other.



Still close.

Still unsure.

Still… almost.

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