The sound of scribbles on a piece of paper filled the room. The girl with light brown eyes peacefully wrote on top of the piano as the sunlight hit her. Then, out of the blue the door burst open.
"HUGO! DON'T RUN"
The once peaceful room was ruined.
"Oh, it's just you." Laila said sinisterly and annoyed,
"Where's Hugo?" She follows.
The girl who was peacefully writing looked at Laila coldly and said
"Who?"
Laila's face turns sharp, her eyebrows knitting together as if she just heard the biggest insult of her life.
"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME! WHERE'S HUGO, MY BOYFRIEND."
Her eyes stay sharp and she smirks lightly. "Ha, did your boyfriend hide from you? I mean I get why"
"YOU, YOU, UGH! JUST TELL ME WHERE HE IS! I KNOW HE'S HERE, I SAW HE WENT THIS DIRECTION!" Laila shouted
"But did you see him going into this room?"
Laila stunned and froze
"Look Laila, there's five rooms down this corridor, your boyfriend is probably hiding in the other four rooms. Besides, you can take a look here all you want and won't find him here, every corner of this room is packed with instruments, there's no place for him to hide. "
Laila clenched her fist and glanced around the room. The once warm and soft room turns cold with the girl in the middle of the room, staring at her coldly while sitting in front of the piano.
Laila narrowed her eyes "You're lying"
With the same expression she replies "Why should I?"
"If I were you, I'd stop looking, Laila. Because some things don't like to be found." she said while turning her gaze back to the piano.
Laila blinked slowly, jaw tightening. "You know what. I don't have time for this. I'll find him elsewhere."
The door swung shut with a loud thud as Laila left. A beat of silence. Then - rustled
"So I'm guessing you're Hugo?" She said, voice flat.
From behind the door, a boy with a tall figure slowly stepped out. His hair was slightly tousled, cheeks flushed from running and holding his breath. He glanced towards the piano, where the girl sat, unmoved, with a pen in her hand.
"Yeah" he mumbled "Thanks for not telling her I was here"
The girl unbothered. "Didn't do it for you"
He blinked with confusion. "Okay…"
She let the silence play out for a second, then finally said, "You can leave now" while staring at the paper she was writing on.
Hugo gave her a look and stood there awkwardly before he turned his back and approached the door. Scared that Laila is still lurking around, He opens the door just ever so lightly to the point that he can peek out.
At the end of the hall, he saw Laila looking pissed, arm crossed, talking to one of her friends. Before Laila's gaze could reach him, he immediately closes the door.
"Um, hey…haha… could I maybe stay here for a few minutes?" Hugo smiled awkwardly, his voice sheepish.
The girl finally turned her back, her gaze shifting to Hugo for the first time.
Hugo froze for a moment. That's the first time he got a good look at her. She has pretty long hair that cascades over her shoulder in soft waves, dark with tints of chestnut when the light hit just right. Her almond shaped eyes were soft light brown, the kind of eyes that could absorb all the attention in the room but also pierce someone if they wanted to.
"Fine, but don't bother me" She said calmly and pity
Hugo snaps back. "Oh, uh yes! You won't even know I'm here"
The girl continues her work, calmly scribbling on the piece of paper that she'd been holding from the moment the boy walked into the room. She was so focused - like everything on that piece of paper mattered.
The boy slowly approached the piano and settled beside it, crossing his arm and leaning towards the window as he looked outside. The warm light outside casts a golden shadow across the floor.
After moments of awkward silence, the girl finally starts playing the piano. The once quiet room is now filled with beautiful melodies. She played with ease, as if the piano understood her hands better than people had ever understood her.
The music filled the air for a few long minutes. No talking. Hugo kept his promise. His gaze fixated on the outside world.
Then - he froze.
Bang!
Hugo's palm hits the window with a loud smack. The sound of the piano stops almost instantly. The girl looked up at him "Seriously?"
Hugo winced,"Sorry - sorry, that was my bad"
Hugo shifted his gaze towards her but immediately looked back down towards the window.
His shoulder grew tense as if he's waiting for something, his jaw tightening. His expression grew wary at first. Then something heavier settled in. Anger, sadness, and frustration.
She could see right through him.
Even without him saying or even when he tries to play it cool, she knew exactly what he saw.
Her hands hovered over the piano, motionless.
"Hey Hugo" she called for him
Hugo turns his eyes towards her. Her eyes sharp, looking dead into his.
"Why do you like her?" she asked, voice calm but laced with something much deeper - curiosity maybe or judgement.
Hugo was caught off guard. He opened his mouth, but no word came out. He tries to piece his words in his head but nothing sounds right.
A few seconds of silence passed by, Hugo finally said hesitatingly "I - I like her charm. And boldness."
The girl stared at him, and couldn't believe what she just heard. She smirks, letting out a short laugh "ha."
"Well, is her charm and boldness making you happy now?"
Hugo didn't say anything. He couldn't. He just stood there frozen in silence. It was a simple question. But it hit way harder than it should've.
She then continues "Let me guess" her tone biting, "you fell for her because she was charming. Because she laughs at your jokes and while doing so, hits you lightly. Or is it because she boldly calls you 'cute' and 'adorable'. Or is it both?"
"Ha, I'm right, aren't I?"
Hugo's silence stretches longer this time.
"Let me say this Hugo, That's how she gets people into her grasp. That's how she gets the attention she craves so much. The thing you saw through the window, you saw her with another guy right? And let me guess, you guys fought because you told her off, right?"
Speechless, Hugo shifts his attention back towards the window, hoping he could maybe - just maybe, find something that takes his mind off what she said.
But as soon as he looked outside, his heart sank. There she was, Laila, walking alongside another guy. Not knowing where they'll run off too. He tries to think positive, but his heart feels like it's pierced by a thousand needles.
Meanwhile, The girl who somehow made him feel more anxious turned off the piano and began packing her things. Hugo stood there, staring at her, still feeling a heavy weight in his chest. He watched her stand up and headed towards the door.
Before she could leave, Hugo speaks up.
"Hey! What's your name?"
The girl paused, half way through the door, turning her back towards him.
"Sooya" She said.
And with that, she leaves him standing there.