Hello, It's Cupid

CHAPTER 6: NOTES OF HIDDEN TRUTH

Janny ignored every single one of Jay's texts.

Morning text? Ignored.

A casual "How's your day?"? Ignored.

Even his classic teasing messages? Left on read.

It wasn't that she didn't want to reply. She just didn't trust herself to.

Every time she saw his name pop up on her phone, she felt like a live wire, sparking with emotions she didn't know how to handle.

So, avoidance was the best strategy. Until it wasn't.

The Rooftop Trap

Sarah, the traitor, led her right into it.

"I left my notebook on the rooftop," she had said.

"Can you grab it for me?" she had asked.

Janny, being the good friend she was, fell for it.

The moment she pushed open the rooftop door, she realized her mistake.

Jay was already there, leaning against the railing, arms crossed, waiting.

Janny turned on her heel to leave, but before she could take a step—

Click.

The door locked behind her.

Oh, she was going to kill Sarah.

Jay smirked. "Wow. You've been avoiding me so hard that Sarah had to lock us on a rooftop just to get us in the same place?"

Janny crossed her arms. "Maybe I should jump."

Jay chuckled. "Go ahead. I'll catch you."

She hated how fast her heart skipped.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The city stretched out behind them, the sky turning a deep purple-blue as the sun set.

Jay sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I get it. You don't want to talk to me. But at least tell me why."

Janny exhaled. She could lie. Say she was just busy. Say she didn't care.

But something about the way he was looking at her made her want to be honest.

So she said it.

"I don't know how to handle this."

Jay frowned. "Handle what?"

She hesitated, gripping the cold metal of the railing. "You. Us. The way you—" She paused, trying to find the right words. "The way you just come into my life and make everything feel... different."

Jay's smirk disappeared.

For once, he didn't have a teasing comeback.

"Different how?" he asked, voice softer now.

Janny looked down. "Like maybe... fictional love isn't the only thing I should believe in."

There. She said it.

And now, she couldn't take it back.

Jay didn't speak right away. The wind was the only sound between them. Then, slowly—

He took a step closer.

Janny held her breath.

"I don't need you to handle it," Jay finally said. "I just need you to stop running from it."

Janny's heart pounded.

She wanted to run.

She wanted to fight it.

But for the first time... maybe she didn't have to.

For the first time in days, Janny actually felt lighter.

Something shifted on that rooftop.

She still wasn't ready to admit anything out loud—not to herself, and definitely not to Jay—but at least... she wasn't running anymore.

Or so she thought.

Because the moment she stepped into her house that night, reality came crashing down.

"Who Is He?"

Janny barely made it to her room when her mother's voice rang through the house.

"Janny, come here."

That tone. That tone.

She swallowed and forced herself to walk calmly to the living room, where her parents were seated. Her father was flipping through the newspaper, pretending not to listen, while her mother stared her down.

Janny knew that look.

Interrogation mode: Activated.

"Where were you?" her mother asked, raising an eyebrow.

Janny blinked. "At Sarah's."

Her mother didn't look convinced. "Then why did Mrs. Patel say she saw you coming home late? With a boy?"

Oh. Crap.

Nosy neighbors. Of course.

Janny forced herself to stay calm. "We were at Sarah's school event. He just walked me part of the way."

Her mother's eyes narrowed. "And this boy's name is?"

Janny hesitated. A second too long.

"Jay," she finally muttered.

And just like that, the temperature in the room dropped.

Her father finally looked up from his newspaper. "A boy?"

Janny quickly shook her head. "Not like that! He's just... a friend."

Her mother crossed her arms. "Since when do you have male friends?"

Janny groaned. "Since always? I'm not a child."

"That's exactly what I'm worried about," her mother said sharply. "You're at a crucial age, Janny. You should be focusing on your studies, not... distractions."

Distractions.

That word felt like a slap.

Her mother kept going. "You already spend too much time with your books and silly romance stories. I won't have you bringing those fantasies into real life."

Janny clenched her jaw. "It's not like that."

Her mother didn't believe her. "Then prove it."

Janny frowned. "How?"

"No more late nights with Sarah. No more spending time with this... Jay."

Janny's stomach dropped.

"What? That's ridiculous!"

Her mother's expression hardened. "No arguments."

Janny wanted to scream.

She hadn't even done anything wrong! But in her mother's eyes, talking to a boy at all was a crime.

Her father, of course, said nothing. He just went back to his newspaper, as if his silence made him neutral.

Janny clenched her fists. "Fine."

She stormed back to her room, heart pounding.

No more Jay?

Yeah. Like that was going to happen.