Chapter Text
Wayo had a reputation.
A very loud reputation.
Third-year student, infamous flirt, chaotic charm, smiles too easy and confessions even easier. People joked that dating Wayo was like borrowing a jacket—warm, exciting, but never for long. She changed girlfriends like she changed hoodies. No one ever expected her to slow down.
And then Blew transferred.
Second year. New faculty. New face.
And suddenly, Wayo forgot how to breathe.
Blew didn’t enter the campus like a storm the way Wayo usually did. She arrived like a quiet melody— soft-spoken, graceful, always composed, so princess-like. She walked across campus like she didn’t know the effect she had— posture straight, smile gentle, eyes calm but observant. The kind of girl people whispered about instead of shouting for.
Within a week, she was the campus crush.
Within two weeks, she was Wayo’s undoing.
It was humiliating, honestly.
All of Wayo’s flirting skills— gone. Evaporated. Thrown directly out the window.
The girl who once flirted effortlessly now tripped over her own words. She stuttered. She forgot jokes. She laughed too loud, then immediately wanted to disappear the moment she realized Blew was watching. Every time Blew’s eyes landed on her, Wayo suddenly remembered every embarrassing thing she’d ever done in her life.
Wayo didn’t even realize it at first. She just found herself noticing small things— how Blew tucked her hair behind her ear when she was thinking. How she thanked the cafeteria aunties softly. How she listened more than she spoke.
So she tried.
Not boldly. Not recklessly.
Patiently.
She paid attention. She learned Blew’s schedule, not to invade it, but to be nearby. She walked her to class. Remembered how Blew liked her tea. She listened when Blew talked about missing home.
No pressure.
Just presence.
Somewhere between shared lunches and late library evenings, Blew started looking at her differently. Softer. Warmer.
Blew noticed.
How Wayo always slowed her steps to match Blew’s pace.
How she never interrupted.
How her chaos softened around her, like the noise of the world dimmed when Blew was near.
Blew’s feelings grew too.
So when Wayo finally confessed—hands shaking, voice barely steady—Blew said yes. With no laugh, no hesitation, she smiled that gentle smile and said yes and Wayo almost cried.
The campus exploded.
People didn’t believe it. They refused to believe it.
They joked that Wayo must’ve blackmailed Blew. That she’d hacked her phone. Cast a spell. Sold her soul. Anything but the truth—that Blew chose her.
Wayo herself didn’t believe it either.
Which is why, even weeks into dating, she still woke up stunned.
One night, Blew fell asleep in Wayo’s room for the first time.
It wasn’t anything dramatic. No grand moment. No fireworks.
They had been studying. Blew had curled up on Wayo’s bed, insisting she’d just rest for five minutes. Wayo had been sitting at her desk pretending to focus on her notes, but her eyes kept drifting back.
Blew’s hair spilled across Wayo’s pillow. One hand rested near her cheek. Her breathing slow. Peaceful.
Trusting.
Wayo stared like she was looking at something sacred.
Her room—usually messy, loud, chaotic—felt different with Blew in it. Softer. Warmer. Like the space itself adjusted to accommodate her.
Wayo sat at her desk, headphones on, volume low.
A song played softly.
The lyrics felt too personal.
Everybody thinks I’m lying
When I say she’s mine…
Wayo huffed quietly.
Yeah. That sounded about right.
She thought about the disbelief on people’s faces when they found out that her new girlfriend was Blew. The way friends squinted at her like she was joking.
She didn’t blame them.
Sometimes, when Blew’s fingers slid naturally into hers, or when Blew leaned against her shoulder like it was the safest place in the world, Wayo felt like she was dreaming someone else’s life.
She’d catch her reflection in windows—this loud, chaotic girl standing beside someone so refined—and think, There’s no way.
But Blew always squeezed her hand back, grounding her.
Making it real.
Her gaze drifted back to the bed.
Blew shifted in her sleep, fingers lightly gripping Wayo’s hoodie that she’d left beside her.
Mine, the lyric echoed.
Wayo’s chest tightened.
The song continued.
I told my mom that I’m in love, I send a pic, dad’s got a crush
It made Wayo remembered the night she told her family.
Wayo had never been nervous introducing someone before.
In the past, she would casually mention girlfriends over dinner like she was telling a funny campus story.
“Oh, I’m seeing someone.”
“Oh, we broke up.”
“Oh well.”
Her parents were used to it. Used to the breezy tone. Used to the shrug. Used to the “it’s nothing serious” smile.
But that night, she could barely swallow her rice.
The dining table felt too small. The clinking of cutlery too loud. Her mom kept glancing at her because Wayo—who usually talked the most—was unusually quiet.
Watit noticed too.
Her father leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, studying her with narrowed eyes that were far too perceptive.
“What did you break?” he asked casually.
“I didn’t break anything,” Wayo muttered.
“Then why do you look like you’re about to confess a crime?”
Her mom shot him a look. “Let her speak.”
Wayo inhaled slowly.
“Mae… Phâw… I think I’m in love.”
Silence.
Not the awkward kind. The heavy kind.
Her mom’s expression changed first. Softened.
“In love?” she asked carefully. “Not just like?”
Wayo swallowed. Then nodded.
Saying it out loud made her chest feel exposed.
Watit straightened in his chair. He didn’t joke immediately this time. He just watched her.
“Serious?” he asked.
Wayo nodded.
Her mom smiled gently. “Then show us.”
Wayo hesitated for a second before pulling out her phone and sliding it across the table.
The picture was simple. Blew standing beside her, smiling softly, head slightly tilted, eyes warm and composed. No dramatic pose. No filter needed.
Her mom picked up the phone first.
And then—
“Oh,” she breathed.
Watit leaned over her shoulder.
There was a long pause.
“She’s beautiful,” her mom said quietly. “Very beautiful. And… graceful.”
Watit squinted at the photo like he was analyzing it for evidence.
“You're dating royalty now?” he asked.
Wayo groaned. “Phâw—!”
“I’m serious,” Watit continued, nodding dramatically. “You? Dating someone who looks like she could be stepping out of a palace?”
Wayo buried her face in her hands while her parents laughed softly.
But then Watit did something unexpected.
He zoomed into the photo.
“Hm,” he hummed. “Look at her eyes. Calm. Steady. She looks like she thinks before she speaks, very unlike you.”
He dodged his daughter's attempt at throwing the rice ladle and handed the phone back to Wayo.
“That’s a good kind of person.”
Her mom reached across the table and squeezed Wayo’s hand. “She’s lovely. If this is love, then take care of it.”
Wayo nodded, throat tight.
Dinner continued lighter after that, her dad occasionally making exaggerated comments like, “Do we need to practice royal etiquette now?” or “Should I start bowing when she visits?”
But later that night, when dishes were done and her mom had gone upstairs, Watit stepped out onto the small porch where Wayo was leaning against the railing.
He stood beside her without speaking at first.
The air was cooler. Quieter.
“You really love her?” he asked, softer now.
Wayo didn’t hesitate.
“Yes.”
Watit nodded slowly.
“You’ve liked people before,” he said. “But tonight… you were scared.”
Wayo gave a weak laugh. “That obvious?”
“Very.”
He looked at her then—not teasing. Just steady.
“If you’re serious about her… if you truly love her… then you don’t treat this like the others.”
Wayo’s fingers tightened around the railing.
Watit continued, voice calm but firm.
“Beautiful, kind-hearted girls like that? They get attention. They get options. So if she chose you, that’s not luck. That’s responsibility.”
Wayo listened carefully.
“You don’t win someone like that,” he said. “You choose them every day. And you make sure they feel safe choosing you back.”
The words settled deep in her chest.
Watit nudged her shoulder lightly. “You’re loud. You’re chaotic. But you have a good heart too. Don’t let your ego ruin something precious.”
Wayo looked down, then back up.
“I won’t,” she said quietly.
Watit studied her for a moment longer.
Then he smirked.
“But if you mess this up, don’t come crying to me when Her Highness leaves and goes back to her kingdom.”
“Phâw!”
Watit laughed, clapping her shoulder once.
“I’m joking,” he said. “Mostly.”
He started walking back inside but paused at the door.
“I’m proud of you,” he added casually. “It takes courage to love someone for real.”
Wayo stood there for a while after he left.
Her heart felt lighter.
Not because her parents approved.
But because saying it out loud—I’m in love—made it real in a way nothing else had.
Wayo smiled at the memory.
Cousins are pumped, throwing high-fives, wishing me luck
The news didn’t spread through a group chat.
It spread because Wayo couldn’t keep it in anymore.
She went home that weekend knowing exactly what would happen the moment the four of them were in the same room.
They always gathered at Din’s house on Saturdays — snacks on the table, TV playing something no one really watched. It had been like that since they were kids.
The four of them were inseparable.
So when Wayo walked in that day with a suspiciously calm face, Fai narrowed her eyes immediately.
“You look guilty,” Fai said.
“I’m not guilty.”
Din tilted his head. “You’re smiling too much.”
Apo just watched her quietly. She always knew before anyone else did.
Wayo dropped onto the couch dramatically.
“I have something to tell you.”
All three straightened.
“What did you do?” Fai asked, already excited.
Wayo rolled her eyes. “Why is it always that?”
“Because it’s you,” Din replied honestly.
Wayo inhaled.
“I’m dating someone.”
Silence.
Fai blinked. “Okay? And?”
“It’s serious.”
That changed the air.
Din sat up straighter. Apo’s gaze sharpened slightly. Fai slowly leaned forward like she’d just heard breaking news.
“Serious serious?” Din asked carefully.
Wayo nodded.
“Like… you’re not going to break up in two weeks serious?” Fai added.
“Fai!”
“What? It’s a pattern!”
Wayo threw a pillow at her. “This is different.”
Apo finally spoke, calm and steady. “Who is she?”
Wayo hesitated for a fraction of a second — which was enough for all three of them to notice.
Then she pulled out her phone and showed them a picture.
Blew, half-laughing. Not posed. Not prepared. Just soft and radiant.
There was a collective pause.
Din’s mouth opened slightly. Closed. Opened again.
“She’s…” she started, then cleared her throat. “She’s very beautiful.”
Apo leaned closer, adjusting her glasses.
“She looks kind,” she observed quietly. “And composed.”
Fai snatched the phone next.
“WHAT?” she screeched. “This is the campus princess everyone’s talking about?!”
Wayo froze. “You know her?”
“Of course I know her! My friend from another faculty showed me her Instagram. She’s trending, idiot!”
Din looked back at Wayo slowly.
“You’re dating her?”
Wayo tried to act casual. “Yeah.”
There was another silence.
Then suddenly—
Fai jumped up and smacked Wayo’s shoulder.
“YOU BAGGED THE CAMPUS PRINCESS?!”
“I did not ‘bag’ her!”
Din stood too, awkward but smiling wide, and gave Wayo a high-five that was slightly mistimed.
“I’m proud of you,” she said sincerely.
Apo stood last.
She didn’t high-five immediately. Instead, she studied Wayo’s face.
“You look different,” she said quietly.
Wayo blinked. “Different how?”
“Scared,” Apo replied. “But happy.”
That hit too close.
Fai wrapped an arm around Wayo’s neck dramatically. “I support this! Full support! If anyone talks bad about you two, I’ll fight them.”
“You will not fight anyone.”
“I will emotionally destroy them.”
Din nodded seriously. “I can bring snacks.”
Wayo burst out laughing.
They surrounded her like she had just won a championship. High-fives. Shoulder punches. Fai shook her by the arms like she’d just scored the winning goal.
“Teach me your ways,” Fai demanded. “How did you even manage that?”
Wayo shook her head, smiling softly now. “I didn’t manage anything.”
Apo crossed her arms thoughtfully. “She chose you.”
The room quieted slightly.
Wayo nodded.
“She did.”
They didn’t tease her the way they used to about her short-lived relationships. Didn’t joke about countdown timers or bets on how long it would last.
They looked at her differently.
Like this mattered.
Like she had achieved something rare.
Something almost impossible.
And maybe she had.
But it didn’t feel like winning someone.
It didn’t feel like conquering the campus princess.
It felt like standing still while someone extraordinary looked at you and said—
I choose you.
Wayo's smile soften as she watched Blew again. It felt truly like being the chosen one.
Sometimes I think that if she left, how could I ever love again?
Wayo swallowed.
That line hit too close.
She used to be fearless about endings. If something didn’t work, she’d shrug and move on. It had always been light.
But now?
The thought of Blew leaving scared her more than she liked to admit. It wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t loud. It was a silent, suffocating fear.
What if one day Blew realized she deserved someone calmer? More refined? Less chaotic?
What if the princess woke up and noticed the chaos standing beside her?
Wayo had never doubted herself this way before. But loving Blew meant caring about losing her. And that vulnerability terrified her more than rejection ever had.
Because if Blew left, the campus would still be loud. Life would still move forward.
But for Wayo?
It would feel like someone turned the volume down on the world.
Like the colors faded slightly.
Like laughter didn’t echo the same way.
And she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to love again with the same devotion.
Wayo stood quietly and walked to the bed.
Blew looked impossibly peaceful.
The world suddenly felt fragile.
The next line played.
I must be doing something right
’Cause she hasn’t left, yet
So instead of overthinking, Wayo focused on the present.
On the fact that every morning, Blew stayed.
Stayed when Wayo got too loud at the cafeteria and then immediately looked embarrassed once she noticed Blew watching.
Stayed when Wayo got competitive during games and sulked dramatically when she lost.
Stayed when Wayo overexplained things out of nervousness.
Blew stayed.
Blew never looked ashamed to stand beside her.
Never looked like she regretted choosing her.
That had to mean something.
She walked with her across campus, fingers laced with each other.
She laughed at jokes that weren’t even that funny—but somehow became hilarious because they were together.
She linked her arm naturally into Wayo’s like it belonged there.
Sometimes Blew would look up at her with that soft expression—fond, steady, sure—and Wayo would feel her heart stopped.
Wayo smiled and finally slipped into bed carefully, turning the volume even lower.
The last part of the song played.
She’s out of my league in every single way
She looked at Blew.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
Wayo knew it.
Blew was elegance where she was chaos. Grace where she was noise. Thoughtful in ways Wayo was still learning to be. Blew walked into rooms and people softened. Wayo walked in and people braced themselves.
Blew shone quietly.
Wayo burned loudly.
And can you believe she’s sleeping at my place
Wayo almost laughed under her breath.
If the whole campus knew, they’d combust.
The rumors would triple overnight.
The same people who once joked she must’ve blackmailed Blew would probably faint knowing the campus princess was curled up in the so-called heartbreaker’s bed, clutching her hoodie like she belonged there.
Because she did.
She belonged there.
It’s just a matter of time, but I hope she never realizes
Wayo’s chest tightened again.
The insecurity lingered, small but stubborn.
What if one day Blew woke up and saw herself clearly? Saw how radiant she was. How rare. How extraordinary.
And then looked at Wayo and thought—
I could do better.
The thought made Wayo’s chest ache.
So she turned slightly, brushing her nose gently against Blew’s hair, breathing her in like she needed proof this was real.
She’s so much better than me
Maybe she was.
Softer. Kinder. More composed.
But Blew had chosen her chaos.
Chosen her loud laugh.
Choosen her awkward confessions.
Chosen her trembling honesty.
And maybe that meant Wayo wasn’t as unworthy as she feared.
She’s out of my league
Wayo removed herbheadphones.
In the quiet, Blew shifted closer in her sleep and instinctively reached for her.
Her fingers found Wayo’s shirt.
Held on.
Wayo froze for half a second before gently wrapping an arm around her. Wayo smiled faintly in the dark.
Out of her league?
Absolutely.
Wayo still believed that.
But she was here, in her arms, and Blew never made her feel small.
She chose her. Not by accident. Not out of pity. Not as a joke.
She chose her every single day.
And for the first time in her life, Wayo didn’t want the thrill of something new.
She just felt grateful.
Grateful that the girl who seemed untouchable had reached out and held onto her instead.
And she would spend as long as Blew allowed proving that she was worthy of being chosen.
That they truly deserved each other.
Blew
Blew wasn’t asleep.
Not entirely.
She had woken up briefly when Wayo shifted beside her, when the mattress dipped and warmth wrapped around her carefully— like she was something fragile.
She kept her eyes closed.
Because she liked this version of Wayo best.
The quiet one.
The one who thought no one was watching.
Blew had heard the faint music earlier. The soft hum of a song playing through headphones. She didn’t catch every lyric, but she felt the emotion in the way Wayo’s breathing changed— shallow at some parts, steady at others.
Blew knew that tone.
Insecure.
Wayo tried so hard to look confident. To act unbothered. To pretend she was the same fearless girl everyone knew.
But Blew had seen the tremble in her hands the night she confessed.
She had seen the way Wayo looked at her like she was something unbelievable.
Like she might disappear.
What Wayo didn’t know was this—
Blew had noticed her long before the confession.
She had noticed the loud third-year who made everyone laugh. The girl who acted careless but always returned library books on time. The one who slowed her steps unconsciously when walking beside her.
Blew had watched Wayo soften around her.
And it had undone her.
People thought Blew was calm because she didn’t show much.
But the first time Wayo stuttered while talking to her?
Blew went back to her dorm and smiled at the ceiling for ten straight minutes.
The first time Wayo waited outside her class in the rain, pretending it was “coincidence”?
Blew almost melted on the spot.
And the confession—
Blew had never seen someone so brave and so terrified at the same time.
She didn’t say yes out of curiosity.
She said yes because somewhere between Wayo’s chaotic laughter and her careful patience, Blew had already fallen.
Deeply.
Irreversibly.
Now, lying in Wayo’s arms, Blew let herself move a little closer.
She rested her forehead lightly against Wayo’s collarbone and smiled faintly when she felt Wayo's heart beats faster.
If only Wayo could hear her thoughts.
To Blew, Wayo was warmth. Color. Movement. Safety in the loudest way. She was sincerity wrapped in chaos. A girl who tried. A girl who cared.
A girl who loved with her whole chest.
Blew didn’t think she was better.
She thought she was lucky.
Lucky that the girl who once changed girlfriends like seasons had chosen to stay.
Lucky that Wayo looked at her like she was magic.
Lucky that when she reached out in her sleep—
Wayo always held on.
And if Wayo ever worried about worth or time running out, Blew had already decided something quietly, stubbornly, in her own soft way:
She wasn’t going anywhere.