Mai looked at the paper on the desk. She had never sung in front of anyone. She was afraid her voice would shake, afraid people would laugh at her, afraid she would stand in the middle of the school courtyard and forget the lyrics.
A restless anxiety began to rise in her chest. Her mind spun through all kinds of thoughts, imagining every possible disaster and wondering whether people would laugh at her if she did badly. Her heart kept pounding, thump after thump.
But if Khanh really had once told Quang that her laugh was cute, maybe she wanted him to hear her sing.
“Maybe,” Mai said. “If you’re there.”
Khanh looked up.
“Where?”
“Onstage.”
“Okay.”
His answer came so quickly, without the slightest hesitation.
Mai looked at him and suddenly felt more at ease.
Outside the window, clouds began to gather. One raindrop fell onto the windowsill, then another.
Khanh looked outside.
“It’s raining again today.”
Mai picked up the lyrics sheet and folded it carefully.
“So do I need to wait for you at the gate tomorrow?”
Khanh looked at her, a smile slowly returning to his lips.
“You do.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s something I want to tell you.”
“What?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“Can’t you just tell me now?”
“No.”
“Keeping secrets again.”
“I’m not keeping a secret. It’s just…”
Khanh walked over to the window and gently pulled the curtain closed.
“I want you to remember tomorrow.”
Mai looked at him, suddenly feeling that this promise would be different.
At the end of the hallway, Quang’s guitar began to play again.
The old melody drifted slowly through the classroom, carrying an unnamed secret with it.
Mai didn’t know whether Quang would become the person who made her flustered or the person who helped her understand her heart more clearly.
She only knew that from that day on, the story between her and Khanh would no longer involve just the two of them.
And when a third person entered a budding romance, everything that had once been crystal clear suddenly became far more fragile.