The Kiss I Never Should Have Asked For - Chapter 40 – A New Beginning

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjT1OZeoaiq

The days after the rain...

Life slowly began to move again.

The pain didn't disappear.

It simply became quieter.

Sometimes, I still reached for my phone, expecting a message from Narin.

Then I remembered.

We weren't together anymore.

Narin and I still saw each other every day at school.

When our eyes met...

We smiled politely.

Nothing more.

There was no hatred between us.

Only a quiet understanding that our story had ended.

A few weeks later, I noticed Narin and Rin walking together more openly.

They weren't hiding anymore.

Seeing them still hurt.

But...

I also saw something in Narin's eyes that had been missing for months.

Peace.

For the first time, I accepted that letting him go had been the right decision.

Korn never mentioned the kiss.

He never asked if I regretted it.

He never tried to replace Narin.

Instead...

He remained exactly as he had always been.

A friend.

Someone who listened more than he spoke.

Someone who stayed without asking for anything.

One afternoon, we were studying beneath our usual tree.

Korn suddenly closed his notebook.

"P'Phawin."

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something?"

I looked at him.

"Anything."

He took a deep breath.

"If..."

"...if one day..."

"...your heart heals..."

"Would you ever think about giving me a chance?"

The question wasn't demanding.

It wasn't selfish.

It was quiet.

Almost afraid.

I smiled sadly.

"I don't know."

"I've never been through something like this before."

"I need time."

Korn nodded immediately.

"I know."

"I can wait."

His answer surprised me.

"You don't know how long it'll take."

He smiled.

"I've already been waiting."

"I don't mind waiting a little longer."

For a moment...

Neither of us spoke.

The wind carried a few fallen leaves across the schoolyard.

I looked at the boy sitting beside me.

The one who had loved me without expecting anything.

The one who never asked me to leave Narin.

The one who stayed even after I broke his heart more than once.

Slowly...

I reached over and gently held his hand.

Only for a moment.

"Thank you..."

I whispered.

Korn looked at our hands, then back at me.

A small smile spread across his face.

It wasn't the smile of someone who had won.

It was the smile of someone who had finally been seen.

As we walked home together that evening...

Neither of us called it love.

Not yet.

But for the first time...

Both of us were walking toward the same future.

A future that, little by little, we would build together.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2aErAAZfH

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