The rooftop swallowed them in silence.
The iron door shut behind them with a hollow sound, as if sealing them away from the rest of the world.
Above— the sky stretched endlessly, pale and restless, covered in drifting clouds that moved like unsettled thoughts.
The wind wandered freely there, cold and wild, weaving through the empty space like a lost spirit.
It carried the faint scent of rain-soaked earth, as though yesterday’s storm had left pieces of itself behind.
At the far edge of the rooftop—
Leo stood motionless.
Like a storm refusing to break.
His back faced Pearl.
His shoulders held a tension so sharp it looked painful.
His hands were tightly curled, veins visible beneath his skin, as if he were holding something invisible together— something dangerous.
Something on the verge of spilling over.
Pearl remained near the door.
Quietly watching him.
The silence between them was strange.
Not empty.
But full.
Like the air itself was waiting.
Leo lifted his hand and pressed it against his forehead, dragging it down slowly, trying to steady the chaos clawing inside him.
Jason’s words still lingered like poison.
What’s your name?
That one question had burned through him more violently than it should have.
Because her name— that sacred sound— was a moment he had protected even from himself.
And someone else had almost taken it.
Pearl looked at him.
Her chest tightened.
She didn’t understand why.
But seeing him like this— untouched by calm, weighed down by something invisible— made her restless too.
She didn’t want this version of him.
Didn’t want his eyes carrying storms.
Didn’t want him distant.
For some reason— she wanted his silence softer.
His gaze warmer.
Less like winter.
More like yesterday’s rain.
Her mind quickly reminded her—
He searched for you because of kindness.
Because you lost your things.
Because Mathew said that’s the kind of person he is.
Nothing more.
And yet— why did her heart resist that answer?
Why did it quietly want something beyond kindness?
That unspoken desire trembled inside her.
Before she could stop herself— she walked toward him.
Slowly.
The wind tangled softly in her hair.
And then— her fingers touched his hand.
A small touch.
Barely there.
But warm.
Real.
“It’s okay,” she whispered.
“There’s no need to carry this much anger.”
Leo froze.
The world stopped.
The wind.
The noise in his mind.
The sharpness in his chest.
All of it.
Gone.
He looked down at her hand over his.
Small enough to disappear in his.
Then he looked at her.
Those warm brown eyes— soft as sunlight after rain.
And once again— his armor shattered.
Just like always.
Every wall he built.
Every piece of coldness.
Every shield.
It all broke apart the moment she touched him.
His anger dissolved like mist.
His frustration faded into nothing.
And all that remained— was the unbearable urge to stay close.
Closer.
To feel that warmth longer.
To keep her hand there.
To not let this moment end.
But he stopped himself.
Because moving too fast would scare her.
And if she ran again— he didn’t know if he could endure it.
So he stayed where he was.
Holding himself together.
Only because it was her.
And because right now— being near her was enough.
Leo held her gaze for a long moment.
The wind moved between them, softer now— as if even it had calmed.
Then his voice broke the silence.
“Why did you come?”
The question was simple.
But the way he asked it— quiet, almost careful— made Pearl’s heart stumble.
She lowered her eyes for a second, gathering her thoughts.
Why had she come?
At first, it was only guilt.
Or so she told herself.
But standing here now— that answer felt incomplete.
Still— it was the safest one.
“I wanted to see if you were alright.”
Her voice came low, almost shy.
Leo watched her without blinking.
Pearl continued,
“you got hurt…”
Her eyes moved to his shoulder, where the white bandage was stained faintly red.
“And I thought…”
She paused.
The words felt heavier than they should.
“…it happened because of me.”
For a moment—
Leo said nothing.
Then he stepped a little closer.
Not enough to crowd her.
Just enough for his voice to reach only her.
“It wasn’t because of you.”
Pearl looked up.
Leo’s eyes held hers.
Steady.
Certain.
“I chose that.”
The wind lifted a strand of her hair.
Leo’s gaze flickered to it, then back to her.
“No one forced me.”
The guilt she had been carrying since yesterday loosened, little by little.
Somehow— when he said it— she believed him.
And strangely…
it made her feel lighter.
Pearl looked at him quietly.
Mathew was right.
Leo really was kind.
Maybe that was all.
Maybe that was why he searched for her.
To return her things.
To make sure she got them back.
That simple truth should have been enough.
But somewhere inside— a tiny part of her wanted it to mean more.
She pushed that thought away.
At least— he hadn’t turned her away.
Hadn’t looked at her with the same coldness he gave Sofia.
That alone felt like a secret comfort.
Then her eyes dropped to his shoulder again.
The bandage had shifted.
A thin line of blood marked the edge.
Her brows pulled together.
“You should take care of that.”
Leo glanced at it carelessly.
“It’ll heal.”
Pearl frowned.
“That’s not how wounds work.”
A faint smile almost touched Leo’s lips.
She sounded serious.
Almost annoyed.
But beneath it— he could hear care.
Real care.
Pearl looked at him with quiet insistence.
“Go to the infirmary.”
“And take your medicine properly.”
“Don’t skip it.”
The way she said it— so natural.
Like she had every right to worry.
Like his pain mattered to her.
Leo felt something in his chest soften.
It was unfamiliar.
Warm.
Too warm.
No one had spoken to him like that before— not with this kind of quiet sincerity.
He looked at her.
Really looked at her.
And wondered— how someone so gentle could undo him so easily.
Pearl stepped back.
The moment stretched too long.
And she felt it.
That strange pull.
That dangerous warmth.
She looked away.
“I should go.”
“Class will start.”
She turned— but before she could take another step—
Leo’s hand wrapped around hers.
Like instinct.
Like it had learned her before he had.
Pearl stopped.
Her eyes fell to their hands.
His fingers were larger.
Warmer.
And steady.
Her pulse turned uneven.
Leo’s voice came low.
“Melody Girl.”
That name.
Every time he said it— it sounded less like a nickname.
And more like something he had claimed for himself.
Pearl slowly looked back at him.
Leo’s eyes were quieter now.
The storm gone.
Only something deeper remained.
“When we meet next time…”
He paused.
His thumb brushed lightly against her hand— so brief she almost thought she imagined it.
“…don’t make me chase you again.”
The words settled inside her like rain sinking into earth.
Her face warmed.
Her thoughts scattered.
There were so many things she could have said.
But none came.
So she gently slipped her hand from his— and stepped away.
Then another.
And another.
Until she turned and disappeared behind the rooftop door.
Leo stood there.
Alone again.
But not empty.
And for the first time— the silence didn’t feel cold.
Because now he knew.
She came back once.
And next time…
She would come again.
With Love
Kiaan