Pearl’s breath caught in her throat.
Leo was turning.
Slowly.
As if he had felt her gaze from across the crowd.
His dark eyes moved in her direction.
Closer.
Closer.
Pearl’s heart pounded so hard it felt impossible to breathe.
No…
Before his eyes could settle on her—
“Pearl!”
Mathew’s voice pulled her back.
She flinched.
Mathew stood a few steps away holding the tickets.
“Come here.
Dad’s calling.”
Pearl looked back once.
Leo was still scanning the crowd.
Her heart raced.
Without wasting another second, she hurried toward her family.
And by the time Leo looked again—
she was gone.
Again.
His jaw tightened.
That feeling.
It had been there.
So close.
But again—
nothing.
Inside the theatre, Pearl sat between her mother and Mathew.
The lights dimmed.
The movie started.
At first, Pearl wasn’t watching.
Her mind stayed trapped on one thing.
Leo.
His face.
His eyes.
That strange pull around him.
The scenes on the screen blurred.
But after a while—
the story slowly caught her attention.
It was a story of pure love.
A love filled with loyalty.
Dedication.
Sacrifice.
A man and woman who loved each other beyond appearances, beyond pain.
Pearl found herself drawn into it.
Her eyes softened.
Her heart slowly calmed.
Then—
a painful scene came.
The heroine’s body was burned badly in an accident.
Her beauty was gone.
Her body scarred.
Everyone pitied her.
Some even looked at her with disgust.
Pearl’s chest tightened.
Then the actor—the man who loved her—walked toward her.
He didn’t hesitate.
Didn’t step back.
Didn’t look away.
He held her hand.
Looked into her eyes.
And loved her exactly the same.
With the same devotion.
The same tenderness.
As if nothing had changed.
Pearl’s eyes filled with emotion.
Her throat tightened.
That kind of love…
that kind of loyalty…
did it really exist?
Or was it just another beautiful lie made for movies?
She lowered her eyes.
Real life is different.
People leave.
People choose beauty.
People choose easy things.
When the movie ended, Pearl felt strangely emotional.
Her family decided to eat something before going home.
They sat in a nearby food court.
Pearl sat quietly while Mathew and her father went to bring snacks.
Her mother was answering a call.
For a moment—
Pearl sat alone.
Not far behind her—
another group sat down.
She didn’t pay attention.
Unaware—
it was Leo and his friends.
They had watched the same movie.
A few tables away.
Ethan leaned back.
“That ending was unrealistic.”
Ryan laughed.
“Seriously.
No man would stay after all that.”
Another friend nodded.
“Exactly.
If a girl looked like that after getting burned… it’s over.”
One of them smirked.
“The actor should’ve married someone else.”
Pearl’s fingers tightened on the table.
Her back faced them.
But she heard every word.
And it hurt.
Because deep down—
she knew.
This was reality.
No man would choose pain.
No man would choose scars.
That kind of love…
only existed in stories.
Then—
another voice spoke.
Calm.
Low.
Steady.
“If someone truly loves a person… these things don’t matter.”
Pearl froze.
That voice.
She didn’t realize it was Leo.
Leo leaned back in his chair, his eyes calm.
His friends looked at him.
He continued,
“Love isn’t about conquering someone’s body.”
His dark eyes stayed on the empty table.
“It’s about understanding their soul.”
Silence.
Then he added—
“And staying loyal to it.”
For a moment—
none of his friends spoke.
Then Ethan laughed.
“Look at you acting like some philosopher.”
Ryan smirked.
“So you’re saying if your future wife burns like that, you’ll still stay?”
Leo looked at him calmly.
“If I loved her… yes.”
His answer was simple.
Firm.
Unshaken.
His friends burst into teasing.
Pearl sat completely still.
Her heartbeat changed.
Those words—
they struck somewhere deep inside her.
A strange warmth spread through her chest.
People like that… really exist?
For the first time—
she felt relieved.
Maybe love like that wasn’t just fiction.
Maybe somewhere—
someone could love that deeply.
And maybe—
one day—
she could find someone like that too.
Her lips curved into a small smile.
For reasons she couldn’t explain—
those words felt safe.
Comforting.
Like hope.
Just then Mathew and her father returned with snacks.
Pearl quickly looked away.
The moment was broken.
But the feeling remained.
Behind her—
Leo suddenly went silent.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
There it was again.
That strange feeling.
Like she was near.
Very near.
He slowly turned his head.
Toward Pearl’s table.
But before his eyes could settle—
Mathew sat down directly in front of her, blocking his view.
Leo frowned slightly.
His heartbeat shifted.
Again.
So close.
And yet—
still out of reach.
Pearl took a slow bite, unaware that the boy whose words had touched her heart…
“It was Leo that she was always trying to run away from or get away from.”
And he was sitting only a few steps behind her.
And Leo—
unaware that the girl he had been chasing…
had just listened to every word he said.
What would you choose?
With Love Kiaan