By the time the Water Festival officially ended, everyone was soaked in different ways.

  The music softened into background noise. The hoses were shut off. Volunteers dragged wet banners to the side. People wrapped themselves in spare jackets, towels, borrowed hoodies. Laughter still floated through the air, but it no longer sounded reckless. It sounded processed.

  XH stood near the edge of the field, hair still dripping, sleeves rolled halfway up his arms. The night air cooled the heat clinging to his skin, but not the tightness in his chest. He kept replaying the moment under the towel. Not the running. Not the cheering.

  The pause.

  The instant when June's face had been close enough that he could see the water bead at the corner of her mouth. The instant when he had stopped thinking and only felt.

  And the instant after, when he saw Kitty watching.

  Kitty was sitting on the low concrete ledge near the drink stall now, legs crossed, towel draped loosely around her shoulders. NC sat beside her, handing her a cup of warm tea. Kitty accepted it with a small nod, fingers wrapped tightly around the paper.

  "You okay?" NC asked softly.

  Kitty smiled. "I'm fine."

  NC tilted her head. "That wasn't an answer."

  Kitty exhaled slowly. "I'm not hurt. I'm just… aware."

  NC studied her face, then nodded. "That's worse."

  Kitty let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah. It is."

  Across the field, June stood surrounded by people congratulating her, clapping her shoulder, teasing her about how fearless she'd looked. She laughed with them, posture relaxed, chin lifted slightly. She looked like she belonged in the center of attention.

  But every few seconds, her eyes flicked toward XH without meaning to.

  She hated that.

  Not the looking.

  The needing.

  Cherry hovered nearby, arms folded, eyes sharp. "You enjoyed that."

  June glanced at her. "It was a game."

  Cherry smirked. "Sure. And storms are just weather."

  June rolled her eyes. "You're projecting."

  Cherry leaned closer. "You don't like losing in front of people."

  June's smile faded a fraction. "I didn't lose."

  Cherry raised a brow. "You didn't win either."

  June turned away, jaw tightening.

  She spotted Kitty laughing softly at something NC said. Kitty's smile was calm. Not defensive. Not performative.

  That unsettled June more than open hostility would have.

  Because Kitty wasn't competing loudly.

  She was enduring.

  XH finally moved.

  He crossed the field slowly, careful not to look like he was choosing a direction too deliberately. He stopped near NS first.

  NS was wringing water out of his sleeves, staring at the grass like it held answers. When he noticed XH, he straightened slightly.

  "You ran well," NS said.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  XH nodded. "You too."

  A pause.

  NS hesitated, then added, "Kitty was… good at keeping pace."

  XH glanced toward Kitty, then back at NS. "She always is."

  NS swallowed. "Yeah."

  The word sat heavy between them.

  XH clapped NS lightly on the shoulder. "You okay?"

  NS nodded once. "I will be."

  Not now.

  But eventually.

  XH continued walking.

  When he reached Kitty, she looked up before he said anything, as if she had sensed him.

  "Hey," XH said.

  "Hey," Kitty replied.

  They stood there for a moment, neither stepping closer, neither stepping back.

  NC took the hint and stood. "I'm going to find Jihye before she drowns herself in excitement."

  Kitty nodded gratefully.

  Silence returned.

  XH gestured awkwardly to the towel still hanging off her shoulder. "You ran well."

  Kitty smiled faintly. "You too."

  Another pause.

  She took a sip of tea, then said, very casually, "You looked comfortable."

  XH blinked. "Under the towel?"

  Kitty nodded. "With her."

  XH opened his mouth, then closed it again.

  Kitty didn't look away. Her voice wasn't accusing. It was observational. Like she was stating the weather.

  "I didn't plan it like that," XH said finally.

  "I know," Kitty replied. "That's the part that makes it harder."

  He felt that land deep.

  Kitty set the cup down and adjusted the towel around her shoulders. "I don't need explanations. I just need honesty when it matters."

  XH's chest tightened. "I don't want to hurt you."

  Kitty smiled, softer now. "I know. That's also part of the problem."

  Before he could respond, June approached.

  She stopped a few steps away, eyes moving between them, reading the space like someone trained to detect shifts in air pressure.

  "I was looking for you," June said to XH.

  Kitty stood. "I'll give you space."

  June looked at her. Kitty looked back.

  The moment stretched.

  Then Kitty added, quietly, "Don't pretend this is simple."

  June's lips parted slightly, but Kitty had already turned away, walking toward the snack tables where laughter was still easy.

  June exhaled sharply.

  XH rubbed a hand over his wet hair. "She's not wrong."

  June crossed her arms. "Neither am I."

  They stood facing each other, both damp, both tired, both unwilling to step back.

  "You didn't hesitate," June said.

  XH frowned. "About what?"

  "About running with me."

  XH met her gaze. "I didn't hesitate because it felt natural."

  June's eyes softened, just slightly. "That scares me."

  "Why?"

  "Because natural things turn into expectations," she said. "And expectations turn into disappointment."

  XH stepped closer. "You don't have to expect anything."

  June laughed quietly. "You say that like it's a comfort."

  She looked at him, really looked at him, as if weighing something invisible.

  "You'd risk a lot for people you care about," she continued. "I don't."

  XH shook his head. "That's not true."

  June's voice dropped. "It is. I calculate. I prepare. I don't jump unless I know where I'll land."

  XH thought of the way she had run under the towel without hesitation. Of the way she had laughed when the water hit her face.

  "You jumped tonight," he said.

  June smiled, small and almost sad. "That's why it matters."

  They stood there, festival lights reflecting off wet ground, the air cooling slowly.

  Somewhere behind them, JP was recounting the towel game dramatically, already turning it into legend. TZ laughed too loudly. Jihye clapped like it was a concert.

  Life went on.

  But something had shifted.

  Later, as the crowd thinned and people began heading back toward campus, Kitty walked beside NC, arms linked.

  NC glanced at her. "You didn't explode."

  Kitty smiled. "I'm proud of myself."

  NC squeezed her arm. "You shouldn't have to be strong all the time."

  Kitty looked ahead. "I'm not. I'm just choosing when to show it."

  She glanced back once, just once, catching sight of XH and June standing a little too close, talking quietly.

  Her chest ached.

  But she kept walking.

  June watched Kitty disappear into the crowd and felt something twist uncomfortably inside her.

  "She's good," June said.

  XH nodded. "She is."

  June hesitated. "You care about her."

  "Yes," XH said.

  June swallowed. "Do you care about me?"

  The question was quiet.

  Direct.

  Unavoidable.

  XH didn't answer immediately.

  He looked up at the dark sky, where clouds gathered without warning, heavy and low.

  "Yes," he said finally.

  June's breath caught.

  She nodded once, as if she'd received exactly what she'd expected.

  "Then don't make promises," she said. "Just don't lie."

  XH nodded. "I won't."

  As they started walking back toward campus, a light rain began to fall.

  No forecast.

  No warning.

  Just droplets, soft at first, dotting the pavement.

  June paused, looking up. "Did you check the weather?"

  XH shook his head. "No."

  She smiled faintly. "Figures."

  The rain thickened slightly.

  People hurried. Laughter faded. Umbrellas opened.

  XH slipped his jacket off without thinking and held it up between them, angling it to shield her head and shoulders.

  June looked at him.

  He realized what he was doing a second too late.

  She didn't pull away.

  She stepped closer.

  The jacket caught the rain, fabric darkening quickly.

  Under it, the space felt smaller.

  Quieter.

  June's voice was barely above the rain. "You do things without realizing how much they mean."

  XH swallowed. "I'm trying to learn."

  She nodded. "Me too."

  From a distance, Kitty saw them.

  Not clearly.

  Just the silhouette of a jacket lifted. Two figures standing too close. Rain falling harder now.

  Her chest tightened.

  But instead of turning away, she watched until they disappeared from view.

  She whispered, to no one, "So this is how it starts."

  Above them all, the rain continued.

  Gentle.

  Persistent.

  As if practicing for something heavier.