Chapter 15 - Hidden Glances

Aria's POV

I was nervous, shy, and feeling every possible emotion as I thought about facing the crowd after Ray dragged me along, not to mention the embarrassing moment when I stumbled over someone. How was I supposed to deal with all this?

As Ray and I approached the crowd, I noticed most people were busy with their own chatter. To my relief, it seemed like nobody had paid attention to my little episode. I exhaled quietly, feeling slightly better.

We headed toward Elio and Ivy, who were already staring at us.

“What was that, guys? Hmm?” Ivy questioned with a teasing smirk.

“N-nothing. Just forget it,” I mumbled, still unsure of what had actually happened myself.

Elio, on the other hand, was giving Ray a sly, teasing look—almost like a bombastic side-eye. I sighed heavily, silently pleading for it to end. Luckily, Ray patted Elio on the back, signaling him to drop it.

We soon drifted into our usual conversations. However, I couldn't help but notice that Belli wasn’t around. Strange. She never missed a chance to make an interruption.

Interesting. Very interesting.

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, Ivy snapped me out of them by urging us to move along. Everyone had been called inside the college building.

The infrastructure of the college was, well... underwhelming. Its name, Wella, brought to mind something - if you knew Hindi. Let’s just put v instead of a w, and it made way too much sense.

As we moved inside, I noticed water dripping from a leaky ceiling. Great. The excitement I had for exploring a new college was quite literally dampened.

This workshop had students from three colleges—ours, Meta, and Wella. The crowd wasn’t overwhelming since only drama society members were invited.

“At the end of this workshop, we’ll hold a carnival,” announced a woman who seemed to be the head of the workshop. “This workshop may be extended depending on the university’s requirements, as the carnival is for university’s 150th anniversary celebrations. I am Sophie Ragus, the head of this workshop. You all can call me Miss Ragus. So… how’s the josh?”

“Highhhhh, Missss!” everyone yelled enthusiastically.

Everyone except Ray, of course. He stood there, uninterested. Typical. I couldn’t help but wonder—how would his future partner ever manage him? What a tough task that would be. Still, whoever ends up with him would be incredibly lucky.

And I meant that. He’s got everything—his height, his long hair that looks unbelievably good when messy, his face structure, and that sharp jawline… oh my goodness. He’s just so perfect, especially through my eyes.

“You said something?” Ray’s voice cut through my thoughts.

“H-huh? N-nope! Do you have hearing problems or something?” I shot back, trying to cover my flustered state and shift the conversation.

He narrowed his eyes at me, raising an eyebrow in suspicion.

“What? Huh,” I said, feigning nonchalance with an over-the-top attitude.

Ray’s POV

“Did you even hear what Miss Ragus just said?” I asked Aria, knowing full well that she was probably lost in her thoughts, overthinking things as usual. That’s just how she is—an overthinker through and through.

She lowered her lashes and pouted slightly.

That pout. She looked so adorable; I couldn’t even explain it. An idea suddenly popped into my head.

Click.

Startled, she leaned back defensively, her expression shifting in an instant as she realized what had happened.

“You… clicked a picture?” she asked with mock anger.

“Because you looked funny,” I lied, though the truth was far from that.

She gave me a blunt smile, clearly unamused.

“Forget it. Miss Ragus asked us to pick a chit from the bowl to determine our partners for the next three days,” I reminded her, hoping to steer her attention away from the picture.

“Ohhh-kay,” she said, her tone lightening as she followed me.

"You first," I said, gesturing with my hand for her to walk ahead.

She blushed a little. Only if I could eat those red cheeks—wait, what am I even thinking? No, no. Focus.

---

Aria's POV

As I was about to pick a chit, Belli slid her hand into the bowl and snatched, in such a subtle way that it didn’t even look like she snatched it. I sighed, rolling my eyes, and reached for another.

"Ray, now you go," I said, gesturing toward him.

“Didn’t you hear the teacher? She already announced the names of students who will pick the chit. Otherwise, people might end up with mismatched chits. Who will be whose partner then?" Ray said.

“Ohhhhh...”

“Such a dumb person, Aria,” she muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

Her words didn’t sting—they never did. Belli was irrelevant to me. But what caught me off guard was Ray’s silence. Why didn’t he take a stand for me?

“It’s so common, Belli, come on. Sometimes even I don’t hear things. What’s the big deal?” Ray finally countered, his tone calm but firm.

I felt a wave of happiness wash over me. I know, it’s such a childish thing to feel this way, but it is what it is.

---

Once everyone had picked their chits, Miss Ragus called out, “Alright, now, one by one, come on stage, say the name written on your chit, and meet your workshop partner.”

I hadn’t opened my chit yet—I wasn’t in a hurry to know. I decided I’d reveal it only when I was on stage.

One by one, the students went up, called out names, and paired off.

Then it was Belli’s turn.

“Ray Sinclair,” she announced with a triumphant grin.

I froze, completely taken aback. My blood boiled instantly. Honestly, I didn’t mind Ray being paired with anyone—but Belli? Of all people? This was the worst-case scenario.

I turned to look at Ray, hoping for some sort of reaction, but all he did was shrug, raise his hand, and walk toward the stage. He stood next to Belli as she beamed, and they both walked down together.

Ugh.

Next was Elio’s turn. I silently hoped his partner would be Ivy. But, to my disappointment, it was some random guy from Meta College.

Finally, my turn came.

I smiled nervously, took a deep breath, and walked toward the stage. My hands trembled slightly as I unfolded the chit.

And then I froze.

I stared at the name on the chit, my mind unable to process it. My heart raced uncontrollably, my breathing turned shallow, and I felt like all the blood had drained from my face.

This couldn’t be real.

Something I had never imagined, not even in my wildest overthinking, was staring back at me.

What. The. Fuck.

“Speak,” Miss Ragus said, her voice snapping me back to reality.

“H-u-h,” I stammered, gathering every ounce of strength I had left. My throat felt dry as I forced the words out.

“D—dariu-s K-ka-ne,” I finally managed to say. “Darius Kane,” I repeated, louder this time.

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