Chapter 9:Festival day 1.5 Couples Games

Celeste couldn't believe she had done that.

She had actually—physically—grabbed Ryan's arm.

In front of Anna Lopez.

What the hell had she been thinking?

She wasn't the jealous type. She wasn't the possessive type. She didn't care who Ryan Cruz flirted with.

And yet…

She could still feel the warmth of his arm against hers, still hear the way his voice had dipped lower when he had asked, "Jealous, Ramos?"

Ugh.

She needed to get it together.

This was just a stupid school festival. Nothing more.

So why did she feel like she had just crossed a line she wasn't supposed to?

Unfortunately for Celeste, Ryan wasn't about to let her forget it.

He was enjoying this too much.

"So, partner," he drawled as they cleaned up the café booth later that afternoon, "should I be worried?"

Celeste frowned, tossing a used napkin into the trash. "About what?"

Ryan grinned. "About you getting territorial over me."

Celeste shot him a glare. "Don't flatter yourself."

Ryan hummed, completely unconvinced. "I don't know… You did grab my arm."

Celeste stiffened. "That was nothing."

"Mm-hmm."

"And it's not like you minded," she added.

Ryan tilted his head. "No, I didn't."

The way he said it—calm, certain, like it was the most obvious thing in the world—made Celeste's stomach flip.

She turned away, focusing on wiping down the counter. "Just drop it, Cruz."

Ryan smirked but didn't push further.

For now.

The Festival Continues

After finishing their shift at the café, Celeste was more than ready to disappear.

Unfortunately, fate (and their classmates) had other plans.

"Everyone from our class has to participate in at least one event," their class president announced, reading from a clipboard. "It's a rule."

Celeste internally groaned.

Her plan had been to lay low for the rest of the day, maybe buy some food, watch a few performances, and then leave.

But now?

She was being forced to participate.

"Don't worry, Ramos," Ryan said, grinning. "I'm sure they'll give you something easy."

That was the moment the class president spoke again.

"Alright, here's the event assignments. Ramos, you're in the Couples' Game."

Silence.

Celeste blinked.

Ryan choked on his drink. "Wait—what?"

The class president nodded. "It's a paired competition. Nothing serious! Just fun challenges like three-legged races, trust exercises, stuff like that."

Celeste felt a headache forming. "And who's my partner?"

The class president checked the list. "Oh. Uh…"

A pause.

Then—

"Cruz."

Ryan coughed. "You've got to be kidding me."

The class president winced. "Sorry. It was randomized."

Celeste covered her face with her hands.

Of course.

Of course this was happening.

The Couples' Game

The event took place on the main stage, where several pairs of students stood in a line, waiting for the host to announce the first challenge.

Celeste was deeply regretting her life choices.

She and Ryan stood next to each other, both visibly unamused.

"I hate this," Celeste muttered.

Ryan sighed. "Same."

The host, a cheerful senior, grinned at the audience. "Alright, everyone! The first game is a classic—The Pepero Challenge!"

The crowd exploded with cheers.

Celeste frowned. "What's that?"

Ryan stiffened. "You don't know?"

Celeste shook her head.

Ryan exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. "Oh, boy."

The host clapped his hands. "Here's how it works! Each pair will take one end of a pepero stick"—he held up a thin biscuit stick covered in chocolate—"and eat from both sides. The goal is to get as close as possible without breaking it too early!"

Celeste froze.

Wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

She had to do what?

With Ryan?

"Hell no," she blurted out.

Ryan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're not doing this."

The host pouted. "Come on! It's all just fun and games!"

The audience chanted, "DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!"

Celeste wanted to die.

Before she could protest further, someone shoved a pepero stick into her hand.

Ryan groaned. "This is insane."

Celeste exhaled sharply. "Let's just get it over with."

Ryan hesitated. Then, reluctantly, he leaned forward, taking the other end of the stick between his lips.

Celeste's heart should not have been beating this fast.

She refused to look at him. She focused on the biscuit stick, trying to bite it as quickly as possible without messing up.

The crowd was losing it.

And then—

A loud snap.

The stick broke way too early, leaving a huge gap between them.

The audience groaned in disappointment.

The host shook his head. "Ah, too bad! You two need to work on your teamwork!"

Ryan scoffed. "Yeah, no thanks."

Celeste nodded. "Agreed."

But as they stepped back, she swore she saw Ryan touch his lips absentmindedly, as if he wasn't sure what had just happened either.

After the Game

The rest of the festival passed in a blur.

Celeste and Ryan were forced to do more ridiculous couple challenges—back-to-back balancing acts, blindfolded guessing games, even a "hold hands for five minutes" challenge.

It was exhausting.

By the time it was over, Celeste wanted to disappear forever.

She had never been that close to someone before. Never had to hold someone's hand that long, never had to look at someone that much.

And Ryan?

For once, he wasn't teasing her.

He was quieter than usual, as if he was also processing everything.

Celeste hated it.

Hated that the festival had made things weird.

Hated that she was now hyper-aware of Ryan Cruz in

 a way she had never been before.

Every glance, every smirk, every casual touch—it all felt different now. Like she had stepped into dangerous territory without realizing it.

And worst of all?

She wasn't sure she wanted to step back.

The Aftermath

Celeste sat on the bleachers, watching the last of the festival booths pack up. The sky had darkened, lanterns glowing softly around campus. The air was filled with laughter and chatter, but her mind was elsewhere.

This was bad.

She needed to stop thinking about it.

About him.

"Thought you'd be celebrating our epic failure somewhere else."

Celeste turned.

Ryan stood at the bottom of the bleachers, hands shoved into his pockets, watching her with that unreadable expression again.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm hiding, Cruz."

Ryan smirked. "Smart move."

Instead of leaving, he climbed up and sat beside her.

They didn't talk for a while.

For once, there were no sarcastic remarks. No teasing. Just… silence.

It should have been awkward.

But it wasn't.

Celeste fiddled with the hem of her sweater. "I still can't believe they made us do that."

Ryan let out a soft chuckle. "Yeah."

Another pause.

Then—

"You didn't have to grab me, you know."

Celeste stiffened.

Ryan was smirking now, but his voice was quieter than usual. "Back with Anna. You grabbed my arm."

Celeste crossed her arms. "I know what I did."

Ryan leaned back, looking up at the sky. "It was interesting."

She frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

He glanced at her, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. "Just that… maybe you don't hate me as much as you think you do."

Celeste's breath caught.

She hated that she couldn't immediately deny it.

She hated that, for the first time, she wasn't sure what she felt.

And the worst part?

Ryan knew.

He knew, and he was just waiting for her to admit it.

Celeste looked away. "You're annoying."

Ryan laughed. "I know."

And somehow, despite everything…

She found herself smiling too.

To Be Continued…