I watched the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen walk away,,,,effortlessly, gracefully, like he was walking on a movie set with background music only he could hear.
Nope. Never again. I don't want to see him again. That man has too much aura for one human being. My heart can't take it.
I took a deep breath and slipped into the classroom, quietly choosing a seat by the side. I told myself that if I kept my head down and my mouth shut, I might survive the day unnoticed.
That dream lasted exactly ten seconds.
Because as soon as I sat down, everyone stopped what they were doing and stared at me.
Every. Single. One.
It felt like a spotlight was shining right on my face. My hands instantly got sweaty again, and I tugged my hood over my head, pretending to be invisible.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, a hand gently landed on my shoulder.
I nearly jumped out of my skin. Reflexively, I swatted it away and then froze in horror.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" I blurted, turning around.
The boy standing behind me blinked in surprise before smiling warmly. "Are you Charlie?" he asked softly, his Japanese accent gentle and clear.
That voice...and that calmness,
could only belong to one person.
"You're… Keito?" I asked, still embarrassed.
He nodded, his smile growing wider.
"Yes, I'm Keito," he said kindly. "It's okay about before. I should have called your name first."
His voice was warm and polite, and I immediately felt terrible for reacting the way I did.
"Yeah, sorry again," I mumbled, rubbing the back of my neck. "I didn't mean to, I just… get startled easily."
"It's fine," he said, motioning to the empty seat beside me. "Can I sit here?"
"Of course!" I replied way too quickly.
Keito was exactly how he'd described himself in our messages, kind, calm, and just… easy to be around. During the lecture, he quietly explained things I didn't understand, and I realized he was incredibly smart too.
A few students came over to greet him and by extension, me but he subtly waved them off, giving me some space. I couldn't have been more grateful. I wasn't ready to socialize yet.
After class, Keito walked me all the way to the bus station before heading in the opposite direction. I waved awkwardly as he left, feeling strangely comforted that at least one person didn't make me feel like an alien here.
As I sat on the bus, watching the city roll by outside the window, my mind drifted, of course,,straight back to him.
Enkai.
The Greek god of a man or should I say japanese God,with the unfairly perfect face and that calm, deep voice.
If I looked like that, would I still have this stupid anxiety? Or maybe I was just born to be a nervous wreck no matter what face I had.
By the time I got home, Mum was already setting the table for dinner.
"So, how was your first day?" she asked, eyes bright with curiosity.
"It was… fine," I said, telling her about the classes and about Keito, but conveniently skipping the part about running into a walking, talking statue of perfection named Enkai. How was I supposed to explain that?
After dinner, I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. I started counting,, one, two, three,,
like I always did when I couldn't sleep.
But instead of numbers, all I could hear was Enkai's voice echoing in my head.
His words. His smirk. That stupidly soothing tone.
I groaned and covered my face with a pillow. "What is wrong with me?" I muttered. "Why am I thinking about him?"
I turned from side to side, trying to push him out of my head, but it was useless.
Finally, in frustration, I yelled into my pillow, "I hope I never see that curse of a man called Enkai again!"