"So, babe, how about a movie this evening?" Dandi asked, seemingly oblivious to Kaivan's presence.
"Sure! That sounds like fun," Rina answered enthusiastically. Their laughter filled the space around the desk, clashing harshly with the silence pressing down on Kaivan.
He tried to summon the courage to speak, but his tongue felt heavy, useless. All he could do was watch, feeling smaller with every second. At last, he stood slowly.
"Never mind… I just remembered I have something to do," he muttered. His voice was so faint it was drowned out by their laughter.
"Oh, you're leaving already? Take care, Kaivan!" Rina called out, still smiling.
He nodded weakly before stepping away. The bright sky no longer felt beautiful. All the colors seemed drained, swallowed by the darkness gathering inside him.
Beneath the crimson evening sky, Kaivan walked along the sidewalk with aimless steps. In his hand, he clutched the battered notebook. The poems inside, once brimming with love, now felt empty and meaningless.
The Star Beyond Reach.
The title on the page stared back at him, a mirror of his own existence. His eyes lingered on the words with quiet agony, his chest heavy as if carrying the weight of the world.
"When will I ever meet someone who truly loves me… and whom I can truly love, forever?"
The question slipped out in a whisper, nearly drowned by the roar of passing traffic. Tears pooled in his eyes, yet he forced them back, unwilling to show weakness—not even to himself.
At the busy crossroads, Kaivan brushed past a girl with dark pink hair and bright violet eyes. She strolled leisurely, tapping away at her phone, but Kaivan was far too lost in his own storm of thoughts to even notice her.
That night, beneath the quiet canopy of stars, Kaivan sat alone in the park near his house. The night breeze carried the scent of damp grass, but it did nothing to ease the heaviness in his chest. Tears streamed down his cheeks, unstoppable.
"Why, Rina? Why? I was always kind to you, always invited you to eat together…" he whispered, as if the twinkling stars above might listen. But the sky offered no answer. His words scattered like empty wishes—unheard, uncared for.
And then, like a sudden breeze in midsummer, Tania appeared in his life. One morning at school, she walked over to him with her long brown hair flowing softly and a sweet smile that seemed able to thaw even the coldest of hearts. She placed a bottle of juice and a bar of chocolate on his desk.
"Kaivan, you've looked down lately. Is something wrong?" she asked gently, her voice filled with concern.
Kaivan lifted his head, meeting her sincere gaze. For the first time in a long while, he felt as though someone truly cared. "I… I've just had a lot on my mind, Tania. But I'll be fine."
"If something's bothering you, don't hesitate to tell me, okay? I'll be here for you," Tania said with a warm smile, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat before returning to her seat.
As days passed, Tania's presence in Kaian's life grew. They shared stories in the cafeteria, walked home together, even studied side by side in the library. Her attention wrapped around him like a gentle embrace, and Kaivan began to believe he wasn't alone anymore. Each smile from her sent his heart racing, and hope began to stir in him—that maybe, just maybe, this time love wouldn't break him.
But reality, cruel as ever, shattered that fragile dream.