Casually, he slipped his hands into his pants pockets, as if Arshaka's presence were nothing more than a passing breeze. But Naira knew better. Beneath that laid-back attitude, he had never truly been at peace. Not since their separation a year ago.
“I just want to talk. Naira and I still have unfinished business, right, Na?” His voice was calm, but his tone was pressing.
Kenzio Putra Aldrich. An upperclassman who had been after Naira since orientation. Yet he was jealous whenever he saw Naira with Shaka.
Naira bit her lower lip, while Arshaka's hand still gripped her arm tightly. She could feel the tension in his body, like a time bomb ready to explode.
“She doesn't have any business with you,” Arshaka cut in sharply. “Back off.”
Ken smiled again, wider this time, more piercing.
“Funny. You didn't care who she was before, and now you're playing protector?”
Arshaka's gaze darkened. He took one step forward, leaving only a shoulder's width between them. Naira could feel that Arshaka's anger wasn't just jealousy, but also came from a past he might never have expected.
“I'm not going to repeat your mistake, Ken. Now get the hell out before I make you regret it.”
Arshaka's voice was low, but it trembled. This was no idle threat. Naira stared at them both, her heart pounding chaotically.
Amid the conflict, there was one thing Naira couldn't deny: a wound that had yet to heal. In her heart, and in the eyes of the two men standing before her.
Ken let out a small laugh, but there was no warmth in it. It sounded like laughter practiced to conceal pain.
“Relax, I don't intend to touch her. I just want to talk.”
Arshaka didn't budge. His gaze never left Ken's face, as if measuring whether the man deserved to stand this close to Naira. With only one deep breath, Naira knew Arshaka could explode at any moment.
“I don't need your permission to talk to her,” Ken continued, his eyes shifting to Naira. “Na, you're the one who said we could have a civil conversation if we ever met, right?”
Naira fell silent. She had said those exact words in a message, back when she thought their wounds had healed enough for them to talk.
But now, standing between two men who both carried their own wounds and anger, she couldn't say a word.
“I don't want to fight...” she said softly, more to herself than anyone else. “I just... didn't expect you two to meet.”
Arshaka turned to her quickly. His expression softened, though his gaze remained sharp.
“You know him better than I thought?” he whispered, half disbelieving.
Naira drew a breath and lowered her head. Yes, she knew Ken as more than just an old friend. Ken was part of a past she had once chosen—and then left behind.
Ken laughed again, bitterly this time.
“I used to be everything to her. But you don't have to worry, Shaka. I know where I stand now.”
“If you know that, why are you still looking for her?”
“Because not everyone can walk away without an explanation,” Ken shot back, staring at Naira.
“Because I still have a wound she never explained.”
Thud.
Naira bit down harder on her lip. Her chest tightened. Ken's words cut into the deepest part of her heart because they were true. She had never really explained why she left. Why she chose silence, then disappeared.
Arshaka drew a long breath, then released his grip on Naira's arm.
“Listen carefully,” he said to Ken. “You've got five minutes. After that, you leave.”
“Deal,” Ken replied quickly, then glanced at Naira. “You brave enough?”
Naira looked at them both. Her breath trembled. She knew that deciding whether to talk now would open the door to old wounds. But maybe... it really was time.
“Come on,” she said softly. “But...”