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The Muddy Staircase - Chapter 7
The Muddy Staircase - Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The changes Johan noticed were no longer in Rhea.
They were in himself.
His mornings were no longer about waiting for her smile.
They were about making sure she reached safely.
Someone else now walked behind her.
Someone else followed her footsteps.
Every single day.
Johan watched it happen from a distance.
His patience slowly began to fade.
Not anymore.
He had made up his mind.
If that boy bothered her again…
he was going to stop him.
He waited for the evening.
The familiar bus arrived.
Rhea stepped down.
A second later…
so did the same boy.
Johan took a step forward, ready to confront him.
Before he could reach them…
he heard Rhea’s voice.
“Please… didn’t I already tell you? I’m not interested. Stop bothering me… and stop following me.”
Johan stopped where he was.
The young man moved in front of her.
“Can I at least know why you don’t like me?”
“I don’t have to explain anything. I’m simply not interested.”
“No… give me one reason. If there’s something wrong with me, I’ll change it.”
Rhea sighed.
“There is nothing wrong with you.”
“Then why?”
She looked away for a moment before quietly saying,
“Because… I’m in love with someone else.”
The boy laughed softly.
“I don’t believe you.”
“I’ve been following you for days.”
“I’ve never seen you talking to any boy.”
“Not in college.”
“Not here.”
“If it’s true…”
“…who is he?”
“What’s his name?”
Rhea’s heartbeat quickened.
She knew the answer.
She had known it for a long time.
But saying his name aloud suddenly felt impossible.
She lowered her eyes.
“H… his name is…”
She took a deep breath.
“Jo…”
Standing a few feet away, Johan held his breath.
Every heartbeat inside him waited for the next syllable.
Then…
Rhea looked up.
Her eyes met Johan’s.
He was standing there.
Listening.
For a second, the entire world disappeared.
She immediately turned back to the boy.
“That’s personal.”
“I don’t have to tell you.”
Without waiting for another question, she walked away.
The young man remained standing there, unsure whether she had spoken the truth.
Rhea walked ahead, her heart pounding.
Did Johan hear me?
He heard ‘Jo’…
But I never completed his name.
What must he be thinking?
The questions refused to leave her.
Behind her…
Johan couldn’t stop smiling.
The unfinished syllable echoed inside his heart again and again.
He didn’t need to hear the rest.
He knew.
For the first time…
he knew the girl he had silently loved all these years…
loved him too.
His heart leapt with a happiness he had never known.
Without asking for an explanation…
without expecting another word…
he simply walked behind her.
Not because he wanted answers.
But because he wanted to live inside that beautiful moment for just a little longer.
After a while, Rhea slowly turned around.
To her surprise…
Johan was walking behind her.
A quiet smile rested on his face.
“Oh God…”
He definitely heard me.
She quickly looked away.
But I never completed his name.
Did he misunderstand me?
What must he be thinking?
The questions kept circling inside her mind.
Johan, however…
had no doubts left.
For him…
her unfinished
had already completed every unanswered question in his heart.
