˗ˏˋ༻ʚRomeo's Povɞ༺ˎˊ˗

One . . . two . . . three . . . four . . .

I could count the number of times Kim had turned her head to glance at me. Each turn was so sudden, so stiff, it was like she was trying to give herself a whiplash.

That memory still plays in my head like it happened yesterday. I didn't plan to lean in. I didn't even know what I was doing. But somehow, I did it.

Kim was beautiful, probably the prettiest girl in Greenville High. She had this soft way about her that made her reactions almost too cute to ignore. Maybe that was why teasing her came so easily to me. But to say I was interested in her? No. At least, I didn't think I was. Maybe I leaned in because her voice had begun to get on my nerves. Perhaps I just wanted her to stop talking.

"Sorry?" I'd scoffed right after pulling back. The word had come out wrong, like a bad joke pretending to be an apology. But it was all I could manage in that moment. I'd startled her. I owed her that much. The way she'd stared at me, her eyes wide, lips parted, completely lost for words, was something I could never forget. Then, just like that, she ran off. Like she'd been caught doing something forbidden.

She'd been stealing glances at me ever since. That alone told me she had something bottled up inside, something she couldn't bring herself to say. I wouldn't have minded if she'd yelled at me, even cursed me out. Silence, though, made everything worse. Pretending the kiss never happened was like pretending a wound didn't exist. And it wasn't just affecting us; our debate team was suffering as a result.

I'd tried to talk to her before.

"Delphine asked me to get something," she'd said once, brushing past me in the lobby.
Another time, after a friendly match with the commercial class, she'd muttered, "Ani, can't talk, need to go call the next teacher," and hurried away before I could respond.

It was eating at both of us, that awkwardness. I could feel the distance growing, and if I didn't stop it, it would ruin everything. So, I made up my mind. I would talk to her today.

I kept glancing at the clock on my phone like a prisoner counting down the seconds to freedom. "Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . . one . . ."

Ding!

"That's it for today," Mrs. Nelson announced, and the room burst into its usual post-class chaos with chairs screeching, zippers tugging, and voices overlapping. I wasn't left out either. The moment she stepped out, I was on my feet.

"Guy, why you dey rush? We suppose run match with that school wey dey make mouth before four," my seat partner called out, grinning.

"I get things to do," I said simply, swinging my bag over my shoulder and heading for Kim's desk.

Delphine was packing up, too, her movements sharp and impatient. She kept glancing toward Krystian's seat, where he sat scrolling on his phone with a flash drive in hand, to even notice.

"Kim," I said. She froze, finally looking up. "I need to talk to you."

Delphine paused. Even though she was clearly in a hurry, she stayed still, her eyes darting between us, curious.

"Um . . ." Kim began, already fumbling for an excuse. "Delphine and I are in a hurry for something important."

Delphine raised a brow. "We are? I'm in a hurry, but she isn't."

And just like that, she picked up her bag and walked off, leaving Kim behind.

"Can I have your attention now?" I asked, my voice quieter this time.

Kim sighed, shoulders dropping in defeat. "I kind of—"

"Kim!" I exhaled, trying to keep my temper down. She had this way of making me restless, like I was seconds away from losing control. "We need to talk."

I could feel the room's attention tilt toward us, but I didn't care. My focus was on her alone. Kim stared down at her lap, fingers tightening around the edge of her desk, clearly wishing she could vanish.

"Fine," she said finally, voice low. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Not here," I said, barely above a whisper.

I took her wrist, gently, but firmly, and led her out. We stopped in the lobby, just far enough from the stream of students heading home. It was quiet there, filled only with the echo of our steps and the soft hum of voices in the distance.

Kim looked around uneasily, her shoulders tense. I hated that I was the reason for that. I would've preferred her anger, her sarcasm, anything but this fragile discomfort.

"You wanted to see me," she said softly, eyes on her sneakers.

"I thought your debate club meant a lot to you."

"It does," she said quickly.

"Then why are you doing everything to make it fail?"

She looked up, hurt flashing across her face. "How am I—?" She stopped midway, exhaled shakily. "I'm not trying to make it fail."

Her lips trembled slightly as she pouted, gaze glued to the ground. Something heavy twisted in my chest. I shoved my hands in my pockets, trying to breathe past the anger rising inside me — not at her, but at how badly I'd messed things up.

"Look," I started, my tone softening. "If you're acting like this because of the kiss, then I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done it."

Her head snapped up. "You . . . shouldn't have?" she repeated, the words tasting strange on her tongue.

"Yes," I said quietly. "I shouldn't have. So if that's why—"

"Then why did you kiss me?" she shot back, her voice trembling but sharp. "Do you have feelings for me or something, because—"

"Does it matter if I do?" I interrupted, my voice rougher than I intended.

"Of course it does!" she shouted, startling both of us. Her voice echoed through the empty hallway. "Do you know how many times I've thought about that moment? How restless I was! I even told Delphine about it and—"

"Delphine knows?"

Kim nodded slowly. "That same day."

That explained why she didn't try to cover up for Kim with an excuse to not talk to me.

"Look, Kim," I said quietly. "I'd rather have you angry with me than uncomfortable. So if that kiss—"

"I liked it!" she blurted.

The words hung there between us, heavy and trembling, and I blinked. "What?"

She peeked up at me, her face flushed. "I liked that you kissed me, okay? But it scared me too."

"Why?" I asked, stepping closer before I realised it, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Because . . ." she dragged out the word, searching for something that made sense. "Because I never saw you that way before. I've always had a silly crush on Krystian and—"

"Can we not talk about him?" I cut in sharply.

She rolled her eyes but sighed. "Fine. Still, I kept asking myself: why did you kiss me? You never showed any sign of liking me. It felt like you were just playing around. And I'm older and—"

"By a year," I said softly, almost smiling. "And I don't care about that."

Her expression softened, confusion and something warmer flickering behind her eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

"After that kiss, I asked myself the same thing," I said. "Why did I do it? Was it because you annoyed me on the field? Because you faked getting hurt and tried to guilt me into talking? Or maybe because your voice was driving me insane and I just wanted to shut you up and before you trap me in your sob story?"

Kim's mouth fell open, disbelief flashing across her face. "Seriously? I wasn't trying to trap you in a sob story. I was trying to let you know I understood you. That—"

Before she could finish, I took a step forward and closed the gap between us.

And then I kissed her.

It wasn't rushed this time. It wasn't a reaction. It was quiet, certain, and real.

When I pulled back, she just stared, her eyes wide, breath unsteady, lips trembling with words that refused to form.

"I kissed you," I whispered, my voice barely holding steady. "Because I like you."

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

Hi, everyone, it's been over a month since my last update and I'm super pleased with how patient most of y'all are.

I'm hardly on this app only when I want to update. I don't even reply to comments on chapters or message board only when I visit this app which happens once in a blue moon because of how busy I am.

Still, I'm grateful for your patience.

So I had to whip up something for this chapter. I know y'all are curious about what's going to happen next based on the last chapter, but this chapter though short is also important to the characters and their world.

Like I'd mentioned in my message board, I'll be opening a WhatsApp group chat dedicated to MITC cause I need all the push in the world to actually update.

There you can bombard me with messages to update since I'm active on WhatsApp even during office hours. I was supposed to open the group chat but it kept slipping my mind. I'll open it soon and add those who have already dropped their numbers in my dm on Instagram.

The reason I chose for y'all to drop your numbers there is because of privacy reasons Wattpad doesn't let people message others privately. For those saying they don't have Instagram, if you're okay to drop your number here, then it's fine. If I quickly see it, I'll try to copy it on time and delete it cause I'm hell bent on people having their private lives being secured.

So in the group, I'll drop in possible dates for updates and spoilers before the final update. And it's going to be an open group chat to keep it alive just in case I'm too busy to drop anything there.

That's that for today. I came on Wattpad to see that MITC has already surpassed 31k reads and it's all thanks to you. Let's head to 35k reads before next update.

Do not forget to vote, comment and share. Don't just be a ghost reader. Most of y'all coming to my message board asking for an update haven't voted or commented once so I never knew y'all existed in the first place. So do well to make yourself known by voting and commenting.

Love y'all bye!