Setting: The central concrete walkways of the university housing area leading to the male dormitory blocks just before the afternoon break.
The tropical afternoon heat is heavy, and the path is lined with rows of identical brick residential buildings.
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Seth: (Walks down the concrete path toward the male dormitories with heavy, robotic steps, my hood pulled down so low over my face that I can barely see three feet in front of my sneakers. My hands are stuffed deep inside my front pockets, my knuckles turning white. My heart is still doing a wild, erratic double-flip against my ribs from the quiet conversation under the mahogany trees. The name Cara and the soft, reflective sound of her voice are completely replaying on a loop inside my head, entirely scrambling my ability to think straight.)
Seth: (I look down at my right hand inside my pocket. My fingertips are still buzzing with a strange, warm sensation from the exact moment she reached out across the gap to return my moon. Her words about her grandmother and shining gracefully like a little star in the night continue to echo in my mind. For three long years, my logical brain has treated everything like an equation with a clear, structured solution. But this—this completely unexplainable coincidence of us holding each other’s missing pieces—is an anomaly I cannot solve. It leaves me feeling entirely exposed, my chest tightening with every step I take away from that hidden pathway.)
Seth: (I adjust the heavy straps of my laptop bag, feeling the physical presence of the metal crescent moon hanging safely from the zipper tab. Just an hour ago, I was ready to completely delete the item from my mind to preserve my structured layout. Now, knowing it was rescued from the dirty floor lines by someone so pure and graceful makes me want to guard it with my entire life. I stare blankly at the brick walls of the dormitory building coming closer, my independent code failing entirely as I try to process how a girl I barely know has managed to rewrite my entire internal structure in a single afternoon.) Find the original chapter at novelping.com.
Lest: (Suddenly sprints up from behind, breathing heavily as he slaps a heavy hand right across my slouched shoulder, causing me to jump half an inch in pure surprise.) “Hey! Lone wolf! Wait up! Man, I sprinted across the entire academic oval just to catch up to you. The department head was running late, so I submitted the inventory sheets in record time.” (He pauses, his highly observant eyes instantly dropping down to check the side zipper of my laptop bag. He completely freezes flat in his tracks, his jaw dropping in absolute shock.) “Wait… hold the phone. No way.”
Seth: (Clears my throat roughly, instinctively shifting my bag forward to block his view as a hot, blinding crimson blush rushes straight up my neck under my hood.) “What, Lest? I’m just walking back to my room block to get some sleep before coding lab tonight. Leave me alone.” (I mutter defensively, my voice sounding flat, guarded, and completely strained under the pressure of his sharp gaze.)
Lest: (Frantically reaches out and yanks my backpack zipper forward, staring in pure, unfiltered disbelief at the sleek, vibrant orange moon crescent dangling securely from the metal loop.) “You found it! Seth, your orange moon keychain is right there! You told the squad yesterday that it was completely gone through the sea of legs in the education lobby! How on earth did you get it back without launching a full retrieval operation?!”
Lest: (Leans in even closer, narrowing his eyes as he studies the metal ring tightly. He circles around me like a detective analyzing a crime scene, completely ignoring my attempts to push past him.) “Look at this loop. It didn’t just crawl back onto your bag, Seth. The metal ring is perfectly polished, and it’s hooked right back to the secondary canvas tab. Yesterday you looked like a depressed rainy day at 7-Eleven, and now you’re marching down the pavement like you just solved a multi-million dollar calculation block. Something is definitely going on here.”
Lest: (Grasps the metal crescent between his fingertips, giving it a light tug as his sharp eyes narrow into a menacingly playful glare.) “Wait a minute… the back of this frame has zero fresh scratches on it. If it was trampled under a hundred lesson plan binders yesterday, it should be dented to hell and back. Someone picked this up the exact millisecond it snapped off your loop. Someone kept it pristine. Seth, you didn’t look for it through the crowd, which means the person who found it came directly to you. Start tracing the data path for me right now.” Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.
Seth: (Clenches my teeth tightly together, pulling my hoodie cords down violently until only my nose is visible, desperately trying to keep my defensive walls from collapsing right in the middle of the walkway.) “Someone just found it on the floor and brought it back, okay? It’s not a big deal. Some good Samaritan checked the name list or something. Stop making a massive theatrical drama out of a piece of metal.” (I lie frantically, my face burning a fierce, bright pink color as I march faster toward the dorm doors.)
Lest: (Marches right alongside me, a massive, triumphant, and highly suspicious smirk spreading across his face as he leans in closer to inspect my glowing cheeks.) “Oh, ‘some good Samaritan’ just happened to find a custom engraved engineering keychain, track down your specific schedule, and hand it back entirely by accident? And that random act of kindness is the exact reason why your face is literally a bright crimson fire engine right now? Seth, you are a terrible actor, man. You look completely disorganized. Who gave it back to you? Was it that same person who owns that mystery plastic piece from the lab desk this morning?!”
Lest: (Nudges my shoulder playfully with his elbow, completely relentless with his interrogation.) “Come on, line up the data points for me. You leave the lecture hall entirely solo, claim you have a simple errand for the professor, and thirty minutes later your prized possession is safely attached to your bag while you look like a walking tomato. Rey and Jasper are going to have an absolute field day with this when we get inside the lounge. You better start talking, lone wolf, because your independent defense system has officially been breached!”
Lest: (Laughs loudly, waving his hands around dramatically as we step onto the dormitory concrete porch.) “I swear, if this has anything to do with that purple star hair clip I saw on your desk earlier, I am going to throw a full celebration party in the common room. The legendary lone wolf of civil engineering, completely neutralized by a mysterious stranger from across the campus grounds. You can’t keep this hidden for long, Seth. The squad always finds out the truth!”
Seth: (Keeps my eyes tightly fixed on the gravel path, completely refusing to meet his mocking look as my mind spins into total chaos. The sudden realization that Lest is right next to me, completely clueless about the girl named Cara who just gracefully handed me my missing piece under the trees, makes my chest feel incredibly warm and tight. I simply push open the heavy glass doors of the dormitory building in total silence, completely unable to compute a single logical explanation to save my life.)
[ END OF CHAPTER 12 ]