The Kiss I Never Should Have Asked For - Chapter 14 – Our Small Routine

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Monday mornings were always the busiest.

The school gates were crowded before the first bell.

Students rushed to their classrooms, some carrying unfinished homework, others trying to eat breakfast before class began.

I arrived a little earlier than usual.

As I walked toward my classroom, I heard a familiar voice.

"P'Phawin."

I turned around.

Korn was standing at the bottom of the stairs.

He held a notebook in one hand.

"I forgot to give this back on Friday."

I walked down the stairs.

"You could have waited until after school."

He smiled.

"I know."

"But I saw you first."

I accepted the notebook.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

The morning bell rang.

"I should go."

"Good luck with your classes."

"You too."

He gave a small bow before hurrying upstairs.

I watched him disappear before walking back to my own classroom.

For some reason...

My morning felt a little brighter.

"Good morning!"

Narin suddenly wrapped an arm around my shoulders from behind.

"You've been standing here for ages."

I laughed.

"You scared me."

"I've been calling your name."

"Really?"

"Yes."

He looked at me suspiciously.

"What were you looking at?"

"The junior building."

"Korn returned my notebook."

"Oh."

Narin nodded casually.

"He's responsible."

"He always returns things on time."

I smiled.

"He really does."

Narin didn't seem bothered.

He simply pulled me toward the classroom.

"Come on."

"We're going to be late."

The days passed quickly.

Without planning it...

Korn and I developed a small routine.

Every morning, if we happened to meet, we greeted each other.

Every afternoon, we exchanged notebooks.

Sometimes we spent ten minutes discussing homework.

Sometimes only two.

Some days we barely spoke at all.

But somehow...

Those small moments became part of my daily life.

One afternoon, I was struggling with a chemistry assignment.

I stared at the page for nearly twenty minutes.

None of the questions made sense.

When school ended, I found Korn waiting outside.

"You don't look very happy."

I sighed.

"I'm not."

He laughed softly.

"Chemistry?"

"How did you know?"

"You've been making that face since lunch."

I looked at him in surprise.

"You noticed?"

"I notice more than you think."

His answer caught me off guard.

He quickly looked away.

"I mean..."

"I've seen that expression before."

I smiled.

"Then can you help me?"

"Of course."

Instead of going home immediately, we sat beneath a large tree near the junior building.

Students walked past us every few minutes.

Some greeted Korn.

Others looked at me curiously.

Neither of us paid much attention.

Korn opened my notebook.

"You solved this equation correctly."

"You only made one mistake here."

He explained everything patiently.

He never acted as though I should already know the answer.

When I finally understood, I smiled.

"So that's all it was."

He nodded.

"See?"

"It wasn't difficult."

"It was..."

"You just explained it better than the teacher."

Korn laughed.

"If my chemistry teacher heard that..."

"I'd probably get extra homework."

I laughed with him.

For a moment...

School, homework, and everything else disappeared.

It was just the two of us talking beneath the tree.

"Phawin!"

I turned toward the voice.

It was Narin.

He had just finished football practice.

Sweat covered his forehead, and his shirt was slightly untucked.

"There you are."

"I've been looking for you."

"I was getting help with chemistry."

Narin looked at the notebook.

Then at Korn.

"So my cousin is tutoring you now?"

Korn smiled politely.

"P'Phawin only had one question."

Narin grinned.

"Good."

"Because if he fails, I'll have nobody to copy from."

I rolled my eyes.

"You should study yourself."

"But that's boring."

The three of us laughed.

It felt completely natural.

None of us realized...

That little by little...

The distance between Korn and me was disappearing.

And with every ordinary afternoon we shared...

Our hearts were taking one quiet step toward a future none of us expected.58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpnl1okeyT

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