Chapter 47 The slip— Daphne reclaims territory

Chapter 47 The slip— Daphne reclaims territory

Daphne pushed the glass door of the art building with her elbow, her folder tucked under her arm. She had come straight from a meeting with her course advisor, still dressed like someone who knew her own worth. Her heels clicked softly on the hallway floor. Students sitting around glanced up, then returned to their sketches.

She noticed them before they noticed her.

Mia stood by Michael’s table with a lunch bag held out like a peace offering. Michael was leaning back in his chair, eyebrows drawn together in a way Daphne recognized. He only looked like that when he didn’t want to argue but didn’t know how to walk away either.

“Michael, it’s really nothing,” Mia said. “Just eat it, okay? I made it this morning.”

“You don’t have to,” he replied. “I’m good.”

“You skipped breakfast,” Mia said. “You always get lightheaded when you do that. Just take it.”

Daphne paused a few steps away, watching the scene unfold. Mia’s voice was too bright, too insistently cheerful. Michael kept glancing away as if searching for an exit. Lila sat across the room near the windows, pretending to erase something on her canvas while very obviously watching.

The air felt tight.

Daphne adjusted the folder in her hand and walked toward them. She walked as if she expected people to make space for her, and they usually did. Today was no different. Students shifted their chairs without looking up.

Mia noticed her only when Daphne reached their table.

The bright smile on Mia’s face flickered.

Michael straightened in his seat.

Daphne didn’t look at Mia first. She looked at Michael. He relaxed the moment their eyes met, the tension in his shoulders dropping as if he had been holding his breath.

Then Daphne shifted her gaze to the lunch in Mia’s hand.

She didn’t snatch it. She simply reached out and took it from Mia with a smooth, practiced movement. The bag slid out of Mia’s grip before she could react.

“What are you doing?” Mia asked, confused.

Daphne loosened the knot on the bag and peeked inside. She saw shrimp. Lots of it.

She closed the bag again and set it on the nearby table, far from Michael.

“He’s allergic to this,” Daphne said even if she didn't know, she just wanted Mia to back off.

Michael blinked. He looked like he wasn’t sure whether to defend Daphne. Mia’s mouth opened, then closed again.

“He’s not allergic,” Mia said, forcing a laugh. “He ate that just yesterday in front of me.”

Daphne immediately gave Michael a deep look that made him uncomfortable

“No,” Michael said quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I didn’t. I pushed it aside.”

Mia’s smile thinned.

Daphne rested her hand on the back of his chair, her fingers brushing his shoulder. The touch was light, but Michael leaned slightly into it, almost unconsciously.

“Let’s go to your house,” she said.

It wasn’t a question.

Michael didn’t hesitate. “Okay.”

The word came out fast. Too fast.

Mia stared at him, stunned. “You have practice,” she said.

“I can skip today,” he replied.

“Since when?” Mia asked.

Michael didn’t answer. He stood up and grabbed his jacket from the chair. Daphne watched him button the first button, then reached out and fixed the second one he missed. Her touch was slow, casual, familiar.

Mia’s eyes followed the movement like she was watching a knife being pressed to her own chest.

Around them, a few students pretended not to stare. Lila didn’t pretend. She looked straight at Daphne, eyebrows raised, understanding exactly what was happening.

Mia tried again. “Michael, can we talk for a second?”

Daphne didn’t even turn toward her. She kept her gaze on Michael, who was already slipping his bag onto his shoulder.

“We’re leaving,” Daphne said.

Mia stiffened. “I wasn’t talking to you.”

Michael finally looked at Mia. His expression was polite, but distant enough that even Mia felt it.

“Maybe later,” he told her.

Daphne lifted her folder and stepped slightly to the side, guiding Michael with her body rather than her hands. A gesture that said she didn’t need to cling to him to make a point. The closeness already spoke for her.

They started walking toward the exit.

Students parted again.

When they passed Lila’s table, Lila gave Daphne a silent, direct look. Not judgmental. Not scolding. Just a quiet acknowledgment of the power shift she had just witnessed.

Daphne gave a small, confident nod back. Lila returned it. A quiet agreement, almost like a pact.

They reached the door. Daphne pushed it open.

Mia was still staring at them, palms slightly curled, jaw tight.

Daphne didn’t look back at first.

She waited until they were just at the threshold, sunlight spilling onto the floor. Then she tilted her head just enough for her voice to carry across the room.

“Some people should stop acting like they know you.”

The sentence slipped out smoothly. She didn’t raise her voice, but the room heard it and Mia definitely heard it.

Michael glanced at Daphne, a mix of surprise and something else. Something warm.

Mia froze.

Her face cracked, just enough for the truth to show for a second. Jealousy. Hurt. Confusion. All tangled.

Daphne looked forward again and walked out of the building, her stride steady and unbothered.

Michael followed her, matching her pace.

The door swung shut behind them.

Inside, Mia stood in the middle of the room, hands trembling slightly.

Outside, Daphne adjusted the folder under her arm and let the afternoon breeze hit her face. She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t even satisfied.

She simply felt like herself again.

Confident.

Untouched.

Ahead of the game.

Beside her, Michael let out a breath he had been holding since Daphne arrived.

“You didn’t have to do that,” he said quietly.

Daphne glanced at him. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

He didn’t respond. His steps stayed close to hers, like he wanted to match her rhythm.

She pretended not to notice.

They crossed the courtyard, walking toward the parking lot. Her mind was already ahead, planning the next move.

Reclaiming territory wasn’t about drama. It was about reminding people where the boundaries truly were.

And Daphne had just redrawn them.

\~~~

Behind them, the art building door opened again. Mia stormed out, breathing hard, watching them walk away together.

Her steps shook with frustration.

The jealousy in her eyes finally broke through her calm mask.

She wasn’t going to stay quiet.

Not anymore.