The walk back from the theatre hall to the student quarter was both awkward and relaxing for Danielle. The cold wind rushed through the gap between Xavier and Danielle as they walked side-by-side without uttering a word to each other. Danielle would be lying if she said that she didn't feel better after crying but after she regained composure, she realised what position they were in her on his lap. The way she scrambled away from him would give anyone who saw her the impression that he was a human representation of an earthworm.

Even thinking about it now made Danielle's cheeks turn a deep shade of red and a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Right now, if she could, she would kiss him, right on his lips. But restraining her urges, she dared to take a look at Xavier.

With his hands tucked inside his pants pocket, Xavier walked beside her, humming the tune of a song she didn't recognise. He looked so carefree and composed that Danielle couldn't help but feel jealous. In the dying lights of the evening, a halo of golden light surrounded him, making him look like a dream; too beautiful to be true.

"You know it's rude to stare," Xavier said without looking at her, a smirk forming on his lips.

Danielle, immediately, looked away as the blush returned to her cheeks. "I wasn't," she mumbled.

Xavier laughed and then, stopped in his tracks. Confused, Danielle stopped in front of him, facing him.

Xavier looked at her, sincerely. "I am happy that you let all that out. Back there."

Xavier hesitated to continue as Danielle's breath hitched. She didn't dare look at him and instead, turned her to look at the other side, away from Xavier. The numbing feeling within her burst out now with full force. Why did she cry? Or to be specific, why did she cry while sitting on Xavier's lap while he comforted her like a damsel in distress? Danielle was in distress, that's true. But she wasn't a damsel who needed saving. She could take care of herself and help herself. No knight in shining armour needed to be her saviour

This train of thoughts stopped, suddenly and an old thought emerged, which she had so desperately buried. Why was Xavier helping her? They only talked a handful of times before this. They weren't friends, or even acquaintances, to say the least. But now, he was the one protecting and helping her navigate through this disaster.

But why? What did he get out of this?

Hesitantly, Danielle turned to look at him. She half-expected him to look at her with pity. But what she saw instead shocked her and made her heart feel full.

Standing under the twilight, Xavier was looking at her with utmost sincerity and genuine care. He wasn't looking at her like a wounded animal who needed to be taken care of. Instead, he saw her as a human who was going through a tough time and needed a helping hand even though he knew she was strong enough to fight for her. But still, he wanted to help her; wanted to lift a little of the weight resting on her shoulders because he cared.

By helping Danielle, Xavier wasn't trying to portray himself as a saviour for the helpless, but because he wanted to help.

Shakily, Danielle extended a hand towards him. Xavier gave her a quizzical look before softly grasping her hand. Delicately, she intertwined their fingers. They stood like that, just looking at each other in the semi-darkness. Xavier's eyes were overflowing with an emotion Danielle couldn't recognise. It was too delicate and vulnerable to be belonging to Xavier. At the time, Xavier felt both familiar and unknown to her.

"Thank you," Danielle whispered. For a moment, she thought her gratitude got lost in the breeze as he said nothing. Then, she watched as Xavier's lips were pulled into a soft smile.

"It's the least I could do for you," Xavier squeezed her hand.

Before Danielle could stop herself, the words tumbled out of her mouth. "But why are you being so kind to me? Why are you helping me?"

"Because I want to," Xavier confessed, pulling her closer to him by their joined hands. "Because I need to."

"Why do you need to?" She whispered, staring at his eyes, hoping that they would disclose his secrets. But still, she failed as she was unable to decipher the emotion covering his eyes.

"I have my reasons." Xavier smiled, softly at her. He reached for her face and tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear.

Danielle didn't push him further. If he didn't want to answer, he didn't have to. She would wait for him to answer her question whenever he felt comfortable. For now, she was content and at peace.

Returning his smile with her own, Danielle started walking, their joined hands swinging between them.

SANNAYA!

hey, so, i am kinda back(?) to say, my life is a shitshow now is an understatement. right now, my life is all over the place and i am trying to find some mental peace(as if i ever had it to begin with)

this was obviously not what i intended to write in this chapter but i really like the way it turned out. anyways, i just wanted to inform that the updates won't be regular but i will try to write it regularly again. it felt good to get back to writing again.

also, don't forget to vote and let me know your thoughts in the comments.