The night passed…
But not quietly for Stephan.
Sleep came—
but not fully.
Every time he closed his eyes, the same images returned.
The waves.
The panic.
And then—
her.
The way she ran.
Without thinking.
Without waiting.
Without fear.
But it wasn't just what she did that stayed with him.
It was how she did it.
The calmness.
The control.
The way she walked away after—
like it didn't matter.
Like he didn't matter.
And that…
was something he couldn't ignore.
The next morning—
Stevan was already awake.
More energetic than expected.
"Bhai…"
Stephan looked at him.
"Call her for breakfast."
Stephan frowned slightly.
"What?"
"Pixel."
There was no hesitation in his voice.
"She'll come if you ask."
Stephan didn't reply immediately.
But something about the way Stevan said it—
made it feel simple.
As if it was obvious.
As if there was no reason to hesitate.
A few minutes later—
Stephan found himself walking down the corridor.
He didn't overthink it.
Didn't question it.
He just went.
And then—
he saw her.
Standing near the corridor window.
Quiet.
As always.
Lost in her own thoughts.
"Stevan wants you to join us for breakfast."
Pixel turned.
Looked at him.
Just for a second.
And in that one second—
he felt it again.
That unreadable calmness.
"Okay."
She agreed easily.
Then added—
"I'll call Ketty."
Stephan paused.
Very slightly.
But didn't say anything.
Didn't stop her.
Didn't question it.
Even though—
for some reason—
he wanted to.
A few minutes later—
Pixel returned.
With Ketty.
They walked together.
Calm.
Normal.
As if nothing was complicated.
By the time they reached—
Stevan's face lit up again.
"You came!"
His happiness was immediate.
Unfiltered.
They all sat down.
Pixel chose the seat beside Stevan.
Naturally.
Without thinking.
And just as naturally—
Ketty ended up sitting next to Stephan.
Breakfast started simply.
Plates.
Small conversations.
Soft background noise.
Stevan talked the most.
Excited.
Energetic.
Telling random things.
Pixel listened.
Responding calmly.
Occasionally smiling.
Not loud.
Not expressive.
But present.
And that presence—
was noticeable.
Ketty tried to start a conversation with Stephan.
"So… you're okay now?"
"Yeah," Stephan replied shortly.
Polite.
But distant.
She tried again.
Asked another question.
Said something light.
But his attention—
wasn't fully there.
It kept shifting.
Unconsciously.
To Pixel.
The way she sat.
The way she spoke.
The way she focused on Stevan.
As if nothing else around her mattered.
And somehow—
that made him notice her even more.
After a while—
Stevan got busy with something on the table.
Ketty stood up to help him.
For a moment—
it was just practical.
Normal.
But then—
it happened.
Now—
only Stephan and Pixel were left at the table.
A small silence settled between them.
Not heavy.
But noticeable.
Pixel looked at him.
Calm.
Steady.
"Can I say something?"
Stephan nodded slightly.
"Ketty likes you."
No build-up.
No hesitation.
Just direct.
"She really does."
Stephan didn't respond immediately.
His expression didn't change.
But something inside him—
did.
Pixel continued—
"You should give her a chance."
There was no emotion in her tone.
No hidden meaning.
Just a simple suggestion.
As if she was stating something obvious.
Something reasonable.
"And why do you think that?" Stephan asked.
His voice calm.
But sharper than before.
Pixel met his gaze.
"Because she means it."
That was it.
No explanation.
No overthinking.
Just a clear answer.
And for some reason—
that didn't sit right with him.
Something about the way she said it.
So easily.
So neutrally.
As if it didn't matter.
As if he didn't matter.
As if…
she didn't care.
Before he could say anything—
Ketty came back.
The moment broke.
Just like that.
The silence disappeared.
Conversations resumed.
Everything went back to normal.
But his thoughts didn't.
They stayed there.
Stuck in that one moment.
That one sentence.
That one feeling.
Because for the first time—
Stephan realized something he hadn't expected.
He didn't like the idea.
The idea of being with someone else.
Of looking at someone else.
Of choosing someone else.
Not when—
she was sitting right there.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Completely unaware—
of what she was slowly becoming in his mind.
And that…
was something he couldn't ignore anymore.