Stephan carried Stevan into the room himself.
He didn't trust anyone else with it.
Not the staff.
Not even the people who had gathered outside in concern.
Right now—
nothing mattered more than his brother.
Stevan's body felt lighter than usual.
Too still.
Too quiet.
And that scared him more than anything.
The doctor arrived shortly after and immediately began checking him.
The room felt tense.
Silent.
Every second stretching longer than it should.
Stephan stood nearby, his eyes fixed on Stevan, his jaw tight, his hands clenched.
"Nothing serious," the doctor finally said.
"He just needs rest."
A wave of relief passed through the room.
But not through Stephan.
He nodded slightly.
But his mind—
was somewhere else.
It kept going back…
To her.
The way she ran without thinking.
The way she didn't hesitate.
Didn't panic.
Didn't wait for someone else to act.
And then—
the way she walked away.
Like it meant nothing.
Like saving a life wasn't something extraordinary.
Stephan had always believed that people did things for a reason.
For benefit.
For attention.
For recognition.
No one did something without expecting something in return.
But this…
didn't fit that belief.
She didn't ask for anything.
Didn't wait for a thank you.
Didn't even stay long enough to hear it.
And for some reason—
that stayed with him.
It didn't leave.
"Bhai…"
Stephan looked down.
Stevan was awake now.
A little weak.
But conscious.
"I really like that girl."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I want her to be my sister-in-law."
For a second—
Stephan almost smiled.
Almost.
But something held it back.
By evening, all the students had gathered for dinner.
The beachside setup was bright again.
Music had returned.
Laughter filled the air as if nothing had happened.
As if the chaos from earlier had been erased.
Everything felt normal.
Except for him.
Stephan sat there—
but he wasn't really present.
His eyes kept searching.
Unconsciously.
Until finally—
they found her.
Pixel.
She was sitting quietly, as always.
Not drawing attention.
Not trying to be seen.
And yet—
he noticed her instantly.
He wanted to talk to her.
Say something.
Anything.
But the moment never felt right.
Or maybe—
he just didn't know how to begin.
Finally, he stood up and walked towards Johan and Hill.
"I need your help," he said.
They exchanged knowing looks.
A smirk.
A few teasing comments.
But they helped anyway.
A small space was created beside Pixel.
Stephan walked over and sat down.
For a moment—
he didn't say anything.
Didn't know what to say.
Words felt… unnecessary.
Or maybe insufficient.
Then finally—
"Thank you."
His voice was low.
Almost hesitant.
Pixel looked at him.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Stephan continued, a little more clearly this time—
"For saving him… I didn't even understand what was happening."
There was a pause.
A moment where it felt like he wanted to say more—
but didn't know how to put it into words.
"It's okay," Pixel replied simply.
No pride.
No importance.
No expectation.
And somehow—
that made it feel even bigger to him.
"And… you can take my number," Stephan added.
Pixel didn't react much.
She simply picked up Ketty's phone—
and handed it to him.
"Save it here."
Stephan paused.
Just for a second.
And then—
it clicked.
So the number…
wasn't for her.
Something about that didn't sit right with him.
A small, unfamiliar discomfort.
Pixel spoke again—
"How is your brother now?"
"He's resting," Stephan replied.
Their conversation was simple.
Normal.
And yet—
it felt incomplete.
Like something important was missing.
Before either of them could say anything more—
Stephan's phone rang.
It was Stevan.
"I want to talk to her."
Stephan's eyes shifted to Pixel.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he handed the phone to her.
"Hello?"
Her voice was calm.
Soft.
"Will you come meet me?"
Pixel paused slightly.
"Okay. I'll come in a while."
She stood up.
Stephan stood up too.
Naturally.
As if it was obvious they would go together.
But then—
Ketty stood up as well.
And Pixel didn't stop her.
Something shifted.
Very slightly.
But enough for Stephan to notice.
They started walking.
Pixel ahead.
Calm. Focused.
Ketty beside Stephan.
Trying to fill the silence.
"So… your brother is fine now?"
"Yes," Stephan replied.
Short.
Polite.
But his attention wasn't there.
It kept drifting.
Back to Pixel.
Her steps.
Her silence.
The distance between them.
And then—
there was an awkward pause.
A silence that didn't feel comfortable.
Pixel slowed down slightly.
As if she wanted them to walk together.
To close the gap.
But Stephan didn't move forward.
And Ketty noticed.
Everything.
Three people.
Walking the same path.
But with completely different intentions.
Ketty—
trying to get closer to Stephan.
Stephan—
watching Pixel.
And Pixel—
trying to bring them together.
But nothing was aligning.
Nothing was working.
And that's when it hit him.
A quiet realization.
He wasn't sure why—
but the fact that she brought someone else with her…
bothered him.
More than it should have.
More than it made sense.
And maybe—
for the first time—
Stephan felt something he couldn't ignore.
Something unfamiliar.
Something unsettling.
Something… real.