"She knows everything I hated in myself…"
Ren mumbled, dragging his hands down his face, pacing restlessly in his room.
"I've seen a lot of girls… played around like love was some joke. But… I never loved any of them."
His hand rested over his heart.
"Then why….why does Serin feel different?"
He stopped, mid-step.
"But we just met last week… are we even close enough to feel this?"
Suddenly—
"Eww... You expect me to date a loser like you?"
Serin's voice pierced through the shadows.
She stepped out, face twisted in disgust.
"What…?" Ren gasped.
"You played with our hearts,"Hayane emerged from the dark, eyes broken but fierce.
"You don't deserve love."
Ina followed behind her.
"It was immaturity! I was a kid back then—I didn't mean to hurt anyone!"
Ren backed away.
"Is this what you call being immature?"
Aarin stormed forward with three more girls.
A wall of judgment.
"No—NO! I REGRET EVERYTHING—I WANTED TO DIE BECAUSE OF WHO I WAS—I'M NOT THAT GUY ANYMORE!"
"Then prove it. Stop ruining others."
Serin shoved him.
Her words sliced deep,
"If you feel any regret, don't ever text me again."
Ren bolted up from bed, gasping for air.
Sweat drenched his hair, his pillow.
"How far does this nightmare Would go…"
He clutched his forehead, shaken.
"Renii? Are you okay?"
His mom peeked in.
Ren coughed, faking weakness, "Uhh… I think I've got a fever or something…"
"Oh nooo, my baby," she gasped and rushed to him.
"Tsstss… yup, you're Forehead Is burning up! Stay At Home today, alright?"
She left the room.
Ren blinked in confusion.
"What the hell… I'm perfectly fine. But why do I actually feel hot?"
Shrugging,
He opened his laptop.
"Let's watch Friends with Benefits."- After all That's What She Recommended Last Night
Just then....Buzz.
"Wait… didn't dad take my phone?!"
It was on the table, blinking with a message.
"Maybe He Took It Out Of Impulse "
He Whispered.
"Hey, I just faked being sick lol. I'mma watch Kissing Booth. Text Me after class, dude."-
Serin Texted Him
Ren's jaw dropped.
His heart clenched.
Lips twitching.
Breath caught.
"Isn't that… exactly what I did…?"
He stared at the message.
"W-What the hell is this timing?!"
Ren: "Dude wtf I did the SAME. I faked to watch Friends With Benefitslmao."
Serin: "NO WAYYY. We're literally on the same brainwave."
Ren: "I swear if we had the same breakfast, I'm calling It destiny."
They both started their own movies—Serin with Kissing Booth, Ren with FWB.
But instead of just watching, they kept texting reactions, laughing, and sending memes and Bitmojis.
Serin: "Kissing Booth is peak romcom energy. Noah Flynn is hot ngl."
Ren: "Okay okay... so tell me, do I look like Noah Flynn or what?"
Serin: "Idk... haven't seen you well enough."
Ren: "Based on My snaps then?"
Serin: "Hmm... how about I tell you when we meet in real life?"
Ren froze.
"She said when, not if !!! Holy crap, are we really gonna meet someday...?"
Ren looked up at the ceiling with a soft grin.
"So… we will meet one day."
His smile widened.
Serin: "So what's your plan for the rest of the day? Since you're home alone too?"
Ren: "Idk...We should do something."
Serin: "Like what?"
Ren: "Idk... not horny or anything, but maybe like… video call?"
*SEND*
"HOLY SHIT I PRESSED SEND—NOOO AM I CANCELLED, DID I MESS UP ? IS THIS WHERE I GET BLOCKED ?"
He panicked.
" Aight. 😌"
Serin Replied Instantly.
Ren blinked.
"She said aight? Like…just like that?"
He was stunned.
She was so cool about everything.
Like she'd known him forever.
His phone buzzed.
Incoming call: SERIN
He sprinted to the mirror, splashed water, fixed his hair, shoved clothes under the bed, and picked up.
"Hey."
Serin tilted her head with a smirk.
"Damn, Ren… you look way better than your snaps."
Ren flushed red.
"Well… I wish I could say the same, but I'm not horny."
"DUDE—what is wrong with you!"
Serin burst into laughter.
"You overthink everything. Cut the crap!"
And that's what shocked Ren.
Her calmness.
Her comfort.
Like there was no pressure, no awkwardness.
Just warmth.
"So this is your room?" she asked, peering around.
"Yup. Wanna see it?"
"Hell yeah."
They gave each other virtual house tours.
Cracked jokes.
Shared embarrassing posters.
Ren's heart beat fast—but not from nerves. It was joy.
She was so easy to be around.
Like they'd known each other forever.
"So… have you ever dated anyone?"
Ren asked, scrunching his face.
"What's with that face? Ask like a normal person!"
She snapped into teacher mode.
"Yes ma'am. Have you ever dated someone, Miss Serin?"
She laughed.
Then her tone shifted.
"Honestly? I don't believe in love. I hate it."
Ren's eyes widened.
"WAIT. WHAT?!"
"Explain."
Serin sighed.
"My friends… they all got cheated on. I've seen enough crap to know love's not real. Every time someone says they're in love, it ends up with heartbreak."
"So because some jerks broke hearts, you hate love itself?"
Ren's tone softened, but he held his ground.
"It's not just that… I've never felt loved. Never had someone who genuinely made me feel like I mattered. And even if something worked out… my family would destroy it. They'd think dating is disgraceful."
Ren stayed silent. Then gently said:
"You have a strict family… I get it. But that doesn't mean love is the villain."
"No, it's just—"
Ren cut her off.
"Let me say this once.
Love is not just Romance.
Love is when someone knows you to your core—all your secrets, flaws, chaos—and they still stay. They still choose you. That's love, But the world's so messed up… finding someone Like That is like digging for emeralds in dirt."
Serin didn't reply.
She just stared into his eyes on the screen. Her silence said more than words ever could.
Then she smiled.
"Well… I guess I do stand with you, Ren."
He chuckled, softly.
"Glad I could make a point."
"But how did we get this close this fast?"
"No idea.
Maybe it's the humor.
Maybe the movies.
Maybe we're just… kinda similar."
"Serin…"
He spoke carefully.
"Do you… actually not believe in love? Or are you just scared of it?"
There was a pause.
Her eyes drifted away from the screen.
"Both," she said finally.
"Love felt like a promise people used to leave, not keep.
I've seen it up close. It's sweet at first, then it fades,
Then it hurts."
She breathed out a soft laugh, almost bitter.
"So, I stopped hoping for it. I built walls. Smiled. Pretended I was okay. But deep down… I was just scared of being forgotten again."
Ren's throat tightened.
"That… that's what I did too. After Hayane."
He stared down.
"I stopped believing anyone could love me genuinely. So I kept people at a distance. I became cold. I broke things before they could break me."
Silence.
Their eyes met again through the screen.
Both vulnerable.
Naked souls behind digital pixels.
"But why me?" Ren asked softly.
"Why didn't you walk away when I told you How messed I was?"
Serin smiled gently, eyes shimmering.
"Because I saw your pain before you spoke it."
"And because… I'm tired of watching good people fade away just because they're hurting."
She leaned closer, her voice now a whisper:
"Maybe we're both broken Ren, but I'm not giving up on you. Not now. Not ever."
Ren stared at her.
No one… no one had ever said that to him before.
Not like that.
Not with eyes that meant every single word.
He swallowed hard.
On screen, Serin tilted her head and giggled.
"Why are you staring at me like that, Ren? You look like you're about to propose or something."
She laughed, clearly teasing, but her eyes held something deeper—a kind of flicker. Soft. Curious. Unspoken.
Ren blinked, coming back to reality.
"Ah- no, no! I was just thinking... maybe you're the one person who actually sees me... not as a player, not as a mess... just... me."
Serin's laughter softened.
"Maybe I do."
A moment of silence passed.
But it wasn't awkward.
It was a silence that felt like a warm Blanket.
A digital distance, yet it felt like their souls were just inches apart.
Ren sighed, looking up at the ceiling.
"You know what scares me the most?"
"What?" she asked.
"That one day this— us —might just fade away. Like all those random connections people make online and then forget in a few weeks."
Serin's face turned serious.
She leaned a little closer into the camera, her eyes locked onto his.
"Then don't let it fade. I'm not here to ghost people or forget people I care about. And I care about you, Ren."
The words hit Ren like a wave.
His eyes trembled.
She smiled.
"I mean, you're annoying sometimes, and weird, and you panic over the smallest things... but you're real. You're broken, but still trying. I respect that."
Ren let out a shaky breath.
"Serin..."
"Hmm?"
"If I ever fall for you one day… like fall hard, will you push me away?"
Serin's expression didn't change.
She paused.
Thought.
Then slowly said:
"No... I won't push you away. But I'll be honest with you. Always."
That was it.
That sentence carved itself into Ren's soul.
He smiled softly.
They stayed on call for hours—sharing embarrassing childhood stories, favorite anime openings, weird food combinations they liked, laughing over nothing, and just… existing.
It wasn't perfect.
It wasn't romantic in the typical sense.....but
It was REAL.
That night, when the call finally ended, Ren laid back in bed.
He stared at the ceiling, whispering to himself:
"Maybe... this time, I won't be the villain in someone's story."
And Serin, across the city, stared at her phone with a soft smile and said to herself:
"Maybe… this time, I won't be left behind."