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Was I Ever There?

The rain falls in a quiet symphony, washing the world in muted gray. A single black umbrella stands in contrast, sheltering two figures beneath its canopy.

"You don’t have an umbrella, do you?"

Yuen barely glances up, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "I forgot."

A sigh, a small shake of the head, and then—without hesitation—Chase moves closer, shielding Yuen from the downpour.

A simple act of care. One that goes unnoticed. As always.

"Thanks," Yuen mutters, already looking away.

Chase chuckles, but the sound is hollow. Because he knows—he has always known—that for Yuen, he is just a passing presence, a convenience in fleeting moments of rain.

But what happens when the unnoticed starts to walk away?

---

At the cafeteria, laughter erupts.

"Dude, every girl in school likes you. Just pick one!"

"Yeah, Chase, what’s stopping you?"

A teasing touch, a flirtatious whisper. "You make every girl fall for you… yet you never choose anyone."

He smiles, but his mind is elsewhere—on someone who never even looks his way.

---

Across campus, a different story unfolds.

"Can we take a picture?"

Yuen raises a brow at Esreld. "Why?"

"So you won’t be a ghost in our class display anymore."

A few casual shots. Laughter. Then—a sudden pull, a near touch of lips, the camera flash catching an unspoken moment between them.

And Yuen… doesn’t pull away.

---

Back in the classroom, the air shifts.

"Is that Yuen?!"

Chase’s gaze snaps to the class display. His heartbeat stumbles. His fingers tighten around the strap of his bag as he stares at the picture—the almost-kiss, the undeniable closeness between Yuen and Esreld.

A sudden heat rises in his chest.

Jealousy.

---

Two lives intertwined in a past unnoticed. A future uncertain. And the question that lingers in the space between them—

Was I ever there?

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