Chapter 7 The Unexpected Wait
The next morning, Aveline woke up with a strange, inexplicable feeling. She hadn't slept soundly all night. Not because Adrian had once again failed to come home, but because of something else, something that made her chest feel full every time she remembered it.
It was the painting.
The painting of her crying face. The painted version of herself that she found difficult to accept continued to haunt her throughout the night. When she tried to close her eyes, the image of those brushstrokes appeared. When she opened her eyes, she felt a warmth that shouldn't be there.
She washed her face for a long time in the bathroom. The cold water flowed over her skin, but it didn't help extinguish the anxiety in her chest.
As she stared at her reflection in the mirror, she knew one thing: today, she had to meet Ezra and resolve all of this. Somehow.
Aveline arrived at campus earlier than usual. Her steps were heavy yet hurried, her heart beating with a rhythm she didn't understand. Although Adrian hadn't come home last night, she felt neither hurt nor anger. Her focus was entirely on one thing: finding Ezra.
She scanned every corner of the art studio hallway, every seat in the classroom, every desk where the young man usually sat. But everything was empty.
Students entered one by one, giving morning greetings, preparing their equipment. But there was no sign of Ezra's presence that day.
Aveline tried to keep her face flat when class began, but her mind was racing in every direction. She taught as usual, explaining the theory of shadows and facial structure... but the words coming out of her mouth were not truly heard by her.
She repeatedly glanced at the second bench from the right, where Ezra usually sat. But the bench remained empty until class ended.
Ezra was absent. Completely absent.
Suddenly, guilt enveloped her chest like a thick fog. Maybe I was too harsh on him yesterday... Maybe I shouldn't have kicked him out like that... Her inner voice regretted.
She couldn't shake the guilt. Especially after she had secretly taken home the painting he gave her.
Even after class was over, Aveline couldn't focus. And when her teaching hours for the day ended, she walked out of the studio with tired steps and an empty heart.
One last time, she checked again. But there was still no sign of Ezra in the hallway, on the campus grounds, or anywhere else.
Every step toward her car felt heavy. Not because her body was tired, but because her heart was broken by something she herself didn't fully understand. A combination of regret, loss, and... a longing she never planned for.
Finally, Aveline drove home. The journey felt incredibly long. From a distance, her house looked just as lonely and bland as usual, but something was different today. The air felt thicker and warmer. And when her car stopped in front of the gate, Aveline saw something that made her breath catch.
An old matte black motorcycle was parked right in front of her house.
And beside it, leaning against a black helmet hanging on the handlebar, stood a man in a denim jacket, his head slightly bowed, his hair covering part of his face.
Ezra.
Aveline froze.
The young man was waiting in an inconspicuous way, neither anxious nor demanding. He just stood there calmly, as if time did not apply to him.
As Aveline got out of the car, Ezra slowly lifted his face. His gaze immediately locked onto Aveline's. A look that was deep, silent, and mysterious. The same look as when he gave her the painting yesterday, but this time there was something different.
There was a faint loneliness. There was an unspoken apology. And there was something that... made Aveline unable to look away.
The afternoon breeze blew softly, moving both their hair. The atmosphere became so quiet that Aveline could even hear her own heartbeat.
"Ezra..." Aveline's voice was almost lost to the wind, "...what are you doing here? How do you know where I live?"
Ezra didn't answer immediately. He just stared at her for a long time. A gaze that seemed to read every flaw on Aveline's face, every tired line in her eyes, and every emotion she tried to hide. A gaze that also made Aveline feel a gentle prick in her chest.
Finally, the young man spoke softly, his husky voice sounding so deep.
"I think... Miss is not doing well."
Aveline's heart immediately thumped loudly.
Ezra continued, still in the same calm, low voice, "I just wanted to make sure Miss... could get home safely."
Aveline swallowed, unsure whether to be angry, touched, or actually afraid of herself for feeling relieved to see him here. Unconsciously, she gripped her bag tighter.
"Ezra, you shouldn't... wait here. This is..."
Ezra cut her off, gently but firmly.
"I won't come tomorrow... or any other day... if Miss truly doesn't want me in class."
That sentence made Aveline freeze. There was a small tremor in his voice. Not of anxiety or pleading, but merely honesty.
"So before I leave," Ezra continued, "I want to apologize."
The wind stopped as if holding its breath.
"Apologize for making Miss angry... and for seeing something I shouldn't have seen."
Aveline was stunned. Meanwhile, Ezra looked down slightly, his jaw tightening.
"I didn't mean to cross a line. But... I can't erase what I saw." He looked at Aveline again, more softly this time. "...I can't erase Miss from my mind."
Those words hit Aveline like a strong wave. She felt her chest trembling. Guilt, fear, and attraction mixed together until she could barely breathe.
Ezra picked up his helmet and prepared to mount his motorcycle, as if he genuinely intended to leave.
But before he put on his helmet, he spoke one more time. This time slower, almost a whisper:
"If Miss doesn't want me here... I will leave now."
Aveline opened her mouth. But no sound came out.
Because when she looked at the mysterious, calm Ezra, who seemed to carry a part of the world's burden in his eyes, Aveline felt something she shouldn't feel.
An attraction that was slowly turning into fear. Not fear of Ezra... but fear of herself.
Ezra waited. Motionless. Not pushing. And not demanding. He was just waiting. Waiting for a word that might change many things in Aveline's life.