Chapter 1: Just another Random Night

Will contain 2 POV's

Ynn POV

It was raining again.

Not the heavy, dramatic kind—just that soft, sleepy drizzle that made everything feel slower. I was in my dorm, half-buried under my blanket, the cheap kind that's warm enough but still leaves your toes cold if you move too much. My laptop was open, but I wasn't working. I had my notes in front of me, but I wasn't reading.

I was just... there.

Existing.

Scrolling through my phone with one hand, sipping on half-cold milk tea with the other, replaying the same song over and over. The lo-fi kind, with no lyrics. Just a beat that doesn't ask anything from you.

The kind of night where everything feels a little too quiet, even when there's sound.

That's when I saw his name light up on my screen.

"Still awake?"

Just two words. Nothing dramatic. Nothing flirty. But I smiled anyway.

"Obviously," I replied. "You?"

There was a pause.

Then his message came in.

"Studying... trying to. It's cold here."

I pulled my blanket higher and typed back.

"Same here. But my definition of 'studying' is staring at my screen until it magically writes the paper for me."

I waited.

Three dots.

Then—

"You have a deadline?"

"Tomorrow," I said. "Three, actually. But I'm chilling. Like a fool."

He didn't laugh. Not with "haha" or emojis. He just said:

"You should sleep early. You always say you'll fix your body clock, remember?"

I rolled my eyes and typed: "You say that like I'm not already too far gone."

He didn't reply right away.

I didn't mind.

That was the thing with him. There were no fast replies, no expectations. We could go minutes, even hours, without saying anything. But when we did talk, it never felt forced.

Like... we didn't have to pretend.

His POV

Her typing bubble popped up. Disappeared. Came back. Disappeared again.

She was overthinking her response. Probably switching between tabs. Probably lying in bed with her face half-buried in her pillow. I imagined her blinking slowly at her screen, debating whether to send another meme or just say she was tired.

I smiled a little.

She always said she wasn't clingy, but I knew she liked consistency.

So I stayed. On the app. Present. Even if I had two chapters to finish.

I stared at the rain outside my window. It tapped lightly against the glass, like it had something to say but was too shy to speak up. The heater in my room wasn't strong, and my fingers were a little stiff. But I didn't mind.

It was peaceful. She was online.

That was enough.

Ynn POV

"I think I just need a reset button," I messaged out of nowhere.

He replied with a question mark.

"Like... for everything," I added. "Life. School. Brain?"

He didn't try to give me advice. Didn't throw some quote at me or tell me to push through. He just said:

"Maybe you just need rest. Not a reason."

I paused.

Read that again.

Then again.

How did he always know the exact thing to say?

I didn't reply right away. Just locked my phone, stared at the ceiling, and let myself breathe.

Sometimes, it feels weird—how someone you've never met in real life can understand you better than the people who see you every day.

His POV

She went silent for a few minutes.

I didn't panic.

I knew her silence wasn't about me. She just needed space. Or time. Or both.

We weren't anything official. Not close enough to claim each other. Not distant enough to walk away.

But somehow, even her silence felt familiar.

I looked at the last message I sent her. Re-read it. Wondered if it was too much.

Maybe you just need rest. Not a reason.

Would she think that was weird?

Too soft?

I wasn't sure.

But the next time she replied, all she said was:

"I wish more people thought like that."

And something in my chest unclenched.

Ynn POV

I don't know when it started feeling like this—safe, I guess.

At first, he was just some guy I replied to because we were in the same Discord server. We talked about random stuff. Study habits. Favorite snacks. Pet peeves. I don't even remember the first real conversation. It just... kept happening.

Now, I find myself looking for his name when I open the app.

Scrolling up to reread old chats when my day's been long.

Telling him things I wouldn't tell my classmates. Or my friends. Not because I don't trust them.

But because he listens differently.

He listens like he's not in a rush to talk.

His POV

She once told me she hated people who interrupted.

Said she felt like she had to fight for space in conversations.

So I made sure never to interrupt her.

Sometimes she'd ramble. Or rant. Or just go in circles about things that stressed her out. I never told her to calm down. Never said "it's not that deep." I just let her feel things the way she needed to.

She once said, "You make it easy to breathe."

And I never forgot that.

Ynn POV

I still don't know what this is between us.

We don't flirt. We don't act like couples. But there's a certain softness I can't explain. A way he talks to me. A way I talk to him.

Some nights, it feels like a friendship.

Other nights, it feels like something more.

But we never say it.

Maybe we're scared of breaking it.

Maybe it's better this way.

His POV

She thinks I don't notice the way she stops herself.

How she changes the subject when things get a little too real.

But I notice.

I notice the long pauses before she replies.

The way she types "LOL" even when I know she's not laughing.

The way she says, "It's okay" when she's clearly not.

She hides it well.

But I've learned to read between the lines.

I don't call her out for it.

I just... stay.

Because sometimes, that's what people need more than anything.

Not solutions.

Just someone who stays.

Ynn POV

It's almost 2 a.m. now.

He told me he'd sleep after his next paragraph. That was fifteen minutes ago.

I'm still here.

He's still online.

No pressure to keep talking.

No need to say anything deep.

Just this.

Presence.

And somehow, that's enough.

End of Chapter 1

To be continued… How did it all began?