EXT. UNIVERSITY DORM – NIGHT
"What's taking him so long…"
Oriel muttered under her breath, irritation laced with worry. The cold air stole her words and returned them as a thin cloud of white, drifting away like her unease.
Did he get into trouble?
I should have gone with him.
Her steps echoed sharply against the stone pavement, each one too loud in the quiet night. The rhythm matched her heartbeat—fast, uneven, anxious. Streetlights lined the path, but their glow felt dimmer than usual, stretched thin against the darkness.
There were barely any people around. Only a few upper-year students passed by, shoulders slumped, thesis papers clutched in tired hands as they disappeared into the dormitory.
Then—
Something shifted at the edge of her vision.
Oriel stopped.
A silhouette stood to her right, motionless beneath a streetlamp. For a second, it didn't move at all. Her breath caught as she slowly turned her head.
The light revealed a figure—
A girl, almost her height, standing still.
Watching her.
The stranger stepped forward, and the lamplight fell perfectly across her face.
"Azure?"
The name slipped from Oriel's lips like a forbidden spell.
Her heart dropped violently, and she stumbled back a step without realizing it.
"Orie."
Azure smiled—but it wasn't warm. It was tight. Bitter. Forced.
Silence pressed down between them, heavy and suffocating. Oriel wanted to run. Her legs begged her to move. But her eyes betrayed her, locking her in place.
"DJ isn't here," Oriel said quickly, her voice stiff as she looked away. "I'll tell him you're looking for him."
"I've been trying to call you."
Azure's voice wavered, sadness bleeding through. "Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm busy."
The lie tasted bitter.
Without waiting for a response, Oriel turned and rushed through the gate, her footsteps pounding against the ground. Each step felt heavier than the last, like invisible chains pulling her down.
"Oriel!"
Azure called after her.
Oriel squeezed her eyes shut, lifting her hands to cover her ears—but the sound followed her anyway, crashing through her chest like a storm.
"Oriel!"
She collapsed beside one of the large trees near the dorm, sliding down until she was crouched against the trunk. Her breathing shook.
"It's not true," she whispered desperately.
"It's not true…"
But the voice wouldn't leave her head.
"Oriel!"
"It's not true!"
"Ori!"
The sudden call snapped her back to reality.
Her eyes flew open—and DJ was there.
Sweaty. Breathless. Eyes wide with panic, like he had been running.
"Ori—are you alright?"
His hands framed her face, trembling. His voice cracked, barely holding together.
Oriel couldn't speak.
Before she could even try, DJ pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly, as if afraid she might disappear.
"I'm here, my Ori," he murmured, over and over, like a prayer. "I'm here."
That was all it took.
Oriel broke.
She cried into his chest, clutching his jacket, words tangled and unspoken. DJ didn't ask anything. He didn't need to. He just held her, steady and warm, as the night quietly wrapped around them.
Later, beneath the large tree near the dorm, the plastic bag lay forgotten at their side.
And the night finally grew still.
Next Chapter: Before the silence, before the anger, there was a promise. A shared lunch, late-night calls, and a friendship that became a lifeline. This is the story of how Azure and Oriel began—back when forever still felt possible.