The Muddy Staircase - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The next morning, as Rhea stepped out of her house, she had no idea someone had quietly followed her.

It was Johan.

Not to disturb her.

Not even to speak to her.

He simply wanted to make sure she was alright.

From a distance, he watched her walk.

Her head remained lowered.

Her smile was still missing.

A hundred questions filled his mind.

Am I the reason she’s upset?

She always looks at me… then why is she avoiding me now?

What is she thinking about me?

Should I talk to her?

He immediately shook his head.

What if she doesn’t even respond?

What if she’s already angry with me?

Or… is she in some kind of trouble?

How do I find out?

Lost in those thoughts, he quietly followed her until she reached the bus stop.

He stopped at a distance.

Rhea never noticed him.

She stood there, completely lost in her own world.

One bus arrived.

She didn’t get in.

Another came.

She let that one go too.

Johan watched her with growing concern.

She wasn’t waiting.

She simply hadn’t noticed.

A third bus pulled up with a loud honk, bringing her back to reality.

She hurried inside and took the window seat.

Johan stood where he was, watching her through the glass.

She never looked his way.

Just as the bus was about to leave, someone signalled the driver to stop.

The bus halted.

A young man climbed aboard.

He looked around, noticed the empty seat beside Rhea and happily sat down.

“Hey… Hi.”

Rhea looked at him politely.

Outside…

Johan’s heartbeat rose without warning.

Who was he?

Why was he sitting beside her?

Why did it suddenly bother him so much?

The bus slowly disappeared from his sight.

Yet his eyes remained fixed on the road long after it had gone.

That evening, Johan reached her bus stop much earlier than usual.

He wasn’t waiting for a smile anymore.

He was waiting for answers.

The bus arrived.

Rhea stepped down.

A second later…

the same boy followed her.

Johan silently watched them.

The young man spoke without stopping.

Rhea replied only when necessary.

She seemed polite…

but distant.

Still…

Johan observed every little moment.

Then it happened.

The young man stopped walking and stretched out his hand.

“Friends?”

Rhea hesitated for a brief second before politely shaking his hand.

That single handshake tightened something inside Johan’s chest.

Without realising it, his fingers gripped the handlebar of his bike.

Watching her with someone else filled him with a strange fear.

Fear of what…

he couldn’t explain.

He rode home with that handshake replaying in his mind again and again.

Somewhere deep inside, he felt that boy wasn’t looking for friendship.

He was interested in her.

In the girl who had quietly become the most special part of Johan’s life.

For the first time…

Johan felt distant from Rhea.

Is he the reason she stopped looking at me?

Is she happier talking to him?

Have I already lost her… without ever telling her how I feel?

Until yesterday…

thinking about Rhea had always brought a smile to his face.

Today…

it brought confusion.

Worry.

And a fear he had never known before.