Chapter 5: Three Days and a Quiet Realization

Three days had passed.

During these three days, I still went to school…
but something inside felt empty.

I hoped —
maybe she would come today.

Holding on to that hope, I entered school.
As soon as I stepped in, I looked around.

I didn’t see her anywhere.

My heart broke a little again.

“She still isn’t here…”

I walked toward the classroom with my shattered hope.

I looked inside.
And…

She was there.

Same bench.
Same place.

A small light burst inside me.

The worry I had carried for three days —
faded in a single second.

As usual, I was about to check her percentage…
but I pulled my gaze down.

This time I didn’t look at the percentage first.

I looked at her.

I went to my bench and sat quietly.

She said,
“No jokes today?”

There was a slight tease in her voice.

I softly replied,
“I think I told too many jokes.”

She looked at me.

Today there was no tiredness in her eyes.

There was light.
There was wellness.

“Mahir…”
she said gently,
“If you hadn’t been there that day, things would have been difficult.”

Hearing those words,
the sadness I had carried for three days became quiet.

My regret…
my inner worry…
it all felt a little lighter.

For the first time, I felt —
my presence mattered to someone.

I smiled slightly and said,
“Come on… let’s play calculator?”

She burst out laughing.

This laughter…
I hadn’t heard it in three days.

It felt like I hadn’t heard it in three years.

I understood —
I didn’t need her percentage.
I needed her laughter.

She said,
“Tomorrow we have a test, you know that, right?”

“A test? And already tomorrow?”

“You didn’t know?”

“No.”

She raised an eyebrow.
“So you were absent for three days, or me?”

I felt a little shy.

She laughed again.

And this time —
I was completely at peace inside.

My tension…
my overthinking…
the emptiness of those three days…
dissolved in her laughter.

I checked the percentage this time.

34% → 38%

Slowly.
Steadily.
Silently.

But I didn’t feel rushed anymore.

Because I finally understood —
I don’t need to increase the percentage.
I need to stay together.