Chapter 2: The Watcher from the Shadows

Leo Yang wasn’t invisible. He just mastered the art of staying unnoticed.

He always sat near the window. Always wore black or gray. Spoke only when needed. By the end of the school year, most of his classmates still didn’t remember his name.

But he remembered everything.

Especially her.

When Leo returned to San Roque Academy during senior year, no one recognized him. He had been away for years, studying abroad. But due to a family emergency, he transferred back.

And when he saw Belle Jane walking across the courtyard on that first day, time slowed down.

He whispered to himself, “It’s her.”

He remembered Belle from kindergarten.

The little girl who gave him half of her snack.

The one who called him “Leo the Lion” because of his spiky baby hair.

The girl he promised to marry when they turned six.

Now she didn’t remember him at all.

Of course, she wouldn’t.

He had braces back then. A lisp. And a Spider-Man lunchbox he once used to hit a bully—for her.

But Leo had never forgotten her.

Seeing her now—more radiant, more graceful, more her—brought everything back.

And now, she was falling for someone else.

Leo didn’t interfere. Not yet.

He watched. He waited. He noticed every little thing—especially the cracks in Jhong’s perfect image.

He saw the hidden messages.

He saw Jhong ride in Carla’s car after class.

He saw the way Belle’s eyes dimmed every time Jhong canceled their plans.

Leo started leaving signs.

A sticky note with “You are enough. Don’t let him confuse you.”

A box of chamomile tea on her desk during exam week.

A funny meme slipped into her binder just to make her smile.

Belle once joked to her friend, “Maybe I have a secret admirer. Hope he’s cute.”

Leo, sitting two rows behind her, nearly exploded from smiling too hard.

But even Leo had his limits. His quiet admiration began turning into something stronger—an obsession. He memorized her schedule. Downloaded her favorite playlists. Kept a strand of her hair from a group project and stored it in a notebook labeled “BJY”.

Yes, even he knew that was a little much.

Still, he kept waiting for the right moment.

Then one evening, it finally happened.

Belle sat alone on the steps outside the campus library, clutching her phone tightly, eyes blank. The messages were all there. Jhong and Carla. Their photos. Their plans. And the one that hurt the most:

"Don’t tell Belle. She’s too sensitive.”

Belle didn’t cry right away. She just… stared.

Leo sat beside her quietly. No questions. No pressure.

They didn’t speak for ten full minutes.

Then Belle whispered, “Am I stupid?”

Leo shook his head. “No. You’re rare. And sometimes, rare things get taken for granted. But that doesn’t mean you’re stupid.”

That night, Belle finally cried—and for the first time, in front of someone else.

Leo didn’t hug her. He didn’t rush to wipe her tears.

He just sat with her, as if saying: I’m here. That’s enough for now.

And then, just before she stood up to leave, she looked at him—really looked.

And in that moment, Leo leaned in—and kissed her.

It was quick. Gentle. A little awkward.