Invisible String

Chapter 17

Iyaara

As we headed to the cafeteria, there was a huge crowd — way more than usual. And honestly, it was terrifying. I hated huge crowds. The noise, the pushing, the closeness — everything felt too much.

I turned to look for Ava, but she wasn’t in sight. My heartbeat quickened, voices around me started to fade, and that uncomfortable pit formed in my stomach again. Someone pushed past me, then another, and another — I was about to lose my balance when a strong but gentle hand gripped my arm, pulling me out of the chaos.

“Iyaara, are you okay?”

The voice sounded faint at first. My vision was a little blurry, and my mind went completely blank.

“Iyaara,” the person nudged again — and that’s when I blinked, finally snapping back to my senses.
It was Ryker.

“Huh? What were you saying? Sorry, I just… hate crowds,” I managed to say, forcing a small smile.

“You okay?” His voice was calm, firm, but there was something soft in it too.

“Yeah, I’m okay,” I said, trying to sound normal while my brain still tried to process what just happened.

“Wait here,” he said, before jogging off somewhere.

I stood there, still a bit dazed, and before I knew it, he was back — slightly out of breath. He held out a bottle of water.

“Here. Drink. Thought you might need it.”

Isn’t that… kinda sweet? I thought.

“I’m fine, really, Ryker,” I said, teasing him lightly.

“Drink,” he said again — his tone still firm but gentle.

I took the bottle and drank, the cool water calming everything — my nerves, my heartbeat, my thoughts. But deep down, I knew the reason my heart was beating so fast wasn’t because of the crowd.

Just as I handed the bottle back to him, I heard a familiar voice cutting through the noise.

“IYAARA!”

I turned — Ava was running toward me, her hair all over the place, eyes wide. “Oh my god, where did you go? I lost you in that crowd!”

“I’m fine,” I said quickly, still catching my breath.

“She almost got crushed in there,” Ryker said, his tone steady but a little sharp — like he was still tense from it.

Ava looked between us, worry written all over her face. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, nodding. “Just needed a second to breathe, that’s all.”

Ava exhaled, finally calming down. “Thank god. I swear this crowd is getting worse every day.”

Ryker gave a small nod. “Just be careful next time. Crowds can get rough.”

“Yeah, I will,” I said softly.

He gave a faint smile before turning away. His perfume lingered in the air, a mix of something clean and faintly warm — and when he walked off, the messy strands of his hair peeked out from under the hoodie he wore. Then he disappeared into the crowd.

Ava touched my shoulder lightly. “Come on, let’s go sit somewhere quiet. You look like you need a break.”

“Yeah,” I said, still feeling my heartbeat slowly returning to normal as we found a spot near the window, away from the noise.

“Yeah,” I said, still a little out of breath. “It all happened so fast, I didn’t even realize what was going on until I was already outside the crowd.”

Ava’s eyes widened even more. “And Ryker was the one who pulled you out?”

“Yeah,” I admitted, picking at the edge of my sleeve, trying to sound casual. “He just… helped, that’s it.”

Ava let out a sigh of relief. “Good thing he was there. That crowd was actually insane.”

“Yeah,” I said again, softer this time. My mind kept replaying those few seconds—his grip, his voice, the way he looked right after.

I shook my head, forcing the thoughts away. “Anyway, let’s just eat before lunch break’s over.”

“Fine,” Ava said, unwrapping her sandwich. “But this is so going into the list of ‘Iyaara’s weird school moments.’”

I laughed quietly. “It better not.”

We had our lunch and got back into class. It was a zero period, so I was just doodling randomly, talking to Ava, thinking and thinking, and also completing my notes.

Even after that, there was still some time left, so I put my head down. My face was turned toward the window, but my gaze didn’t really go there.

It went to him.

Ryker.

He was writing something—at least I think he was. I couldn’t really see what was going on, but I could see his face. His usual calm expression was still there, a strand of hair falling onto his forehead restlessly, and the corner of his mouth curved up slightly—maybe Kairo said something funny.

And then he turned.

Like he somehow knew someone was looking at him.

His eyes caught mine.

For three whole seconds, neither of us looked away.

Then the bell rang.

I blinked, snapping back to reality, and he turned toward Kairo again—probably pretending nothing happened. My heart, on the other hand, was beating so fast I thought everyone could hear it.

I covered my face with both hands, trying to calm myself down.
Just then, the teacher walked in, starting her same old lecture again, and I tried my best to act normal.