The Kiss I Never Should Have Asked For - Chapter 23 – A Name I Didn't Know

56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8YUgowV9B

After my phone call with Narin...

I spent the entire night staring at the ceiling.

His voice had sounded the same.

Warm.

Gentle.

Familiar.

But something was missing.

It was as if he were talking to me because he had to...

Not because he wanted to.

I hated myself for thinking that.

Narin had never given me a reason to doubt him.

So why was I doubting him now?

The next morning...

Everything seemed normal again.

Narin waited outside my classroom before the first bell.

"There you are."

He smiled as though nothing had happened.

"Did you sleep well?"

"A little."

"You still look tired."

"I couldn't stop thinking about homework."

He laughed.

"You're such a good student."

I smiled back.

For a moment...

It felt like the old Narin had returned.

During the second break, our class was dismissed early because one of the teachers was absent.

Narin stood up.

"I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"I promised someone I'd help them with something."

"Who?"

He hesitated for only a second.

"A friend."

"I won't be long."

Before I could ask anything else...

He had already left the classroom.

I watched him disappear into the corridor.

"A friend..."

He had been saying that a lot lately.

School ended earlier than usual that day.

I walked toward our usual tree.

Korn was already sitting there, reading a book.

When he saw me, he closed it immediately.

"Finished early?"

"One teacher was absent."

He nodded.

"So was ours."

I sat beside him.

For the first time in weeks...

Neither of us reached for our notebooks.

We simply sat there.

After a while, Korn spoke.

"You've been thinking a lot lately."

"Is it that obvious?"

He smiled.

"Only to someone who sees you every day."

I looked at him.

"You really notice everything."

He laughed softly.

"Not everything."

"Just the things that matter."

For some reason...

His words stayed with me.

As we were talking, two juniors walked past us.

One of them greeted Korn.

"Korn!"

"We're going now."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

After they left, I smiled.

"You seem popular."

He shook his head.

"Not really."

"They're just classmates."

"You know everyone's name."

"I try to."

I laughed.

"I'm terrible with names."

That evening, I was walking home alone when I noticed Narin standing across the street.

He wasn't alone.

He was talking to another boy.

They seemed to be laughing about something.

I couldn't hear the conversation.

It looked harmless.

Just two students talking after school.

Before I could call out...

Narin waved goodbye to the boy.

Then he turned and saw me.

"Oh."

"Phawin."

"When did you get here?"

"Just now."

He smiled.

"I was helping him with an assignment."

"The same friend?"

"Yeah."

I nodded.

"I see."

He slipped his hands into his pockets.

"I should get home."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

He walked away.

I looked back once.

The other boy was still standing at the corner.

Watching Narin leave.

I didn't know who he was.

I didn't know his name.

And I didn't know...

That this was the first time I had seen the person who would slowly change everything between Narin and me.56Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBT2zccxIVf

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