I can do this.

She whispered the words to herself repeatedly like a mantra as she exerted great effort to stay calm. Her hands were cold and her knees were wobbly, but apart from the lack of the usual smile in her face, other people could not possibly notice even a hint of her struggle. She looked unruffled, almost serene, as she stood in the middle of the mat with her back ramrod straight. She looked pristine in her white uniform, while her long sable hair was braided neatly behind her back. She would have looked like princess, in fact, that was what some of her classmates called her, even with the black belt in her waist looking firm and imposing.

She was, after all, the Fighting Dame, Danika "Nika" Manaphanlert of the College of Architecture.

She could easily fell a foe with a calculated kick, just as easily as she can make boys swoon with just one look of her eyes. They dare not get close to her however, not just because she was the ace of the university's Taekwondo Team, but also because everyone was well aware that she was not an ordinary girl that can be wooed with flowers and chocolates. While her smiles beckoned many friends and admirers, her wit and bearing gave off a clear signal that she was not one to be played.

And this was why the male population of their University merely stayed on the sidelines, cheering her on interschool tournaments and watching her graceful passion explode on the mat. Her girlfriends were likewise eagerly watching, hoping and praying for her success while keeping her rabid fanboys in check.

Now she gave off a tranquil vibe, as though she were not fazed by her bigger, better foes. No, she remained fierce yet beautiful as she waited for her turn. The auditorium was bustling with activity with the Interschool Tournament being on full swing. Yet despite the number of matches occurring simultaneously, everyone's attention seemed to be on her. The audience noted that she easily moved up the ranks in this tournament, not noticing even a hint of her apprehension, not knowing the cold sweat running down her spine. She could barely hear her cheering squad bursting their tonsils in cheering her on. All she could hear was the loud beating of her heart.

I can do this? I can do this right?

She asked herself, her composure cracking a little. She looked up near the exit where the bleachers were, searching, hoping to find what she was looking for. He never let her down. And she believed that he never would. Not now. Not ever.

Where are you?

She asked herself the question as she clenched her fists to her sides. Please, please, please…

She gave one more longing glance at the bleachers, changing her mantra to:

Please come quickly. I need you. I can't do this alone. Please, please.

Four is to one had never been fair, yet he knew he had no choice when he entered their lair on his own accord.

He always wanted to be a big-shot hero like those cowboys in movies he used to watch as a child. Those cowboys always came to fights alone with guns ablazing against a tribe of enemies, but what he put himself into right now was another kind of war. While he came alone, he need not fight, at least not with guns or fists.

They were civilized men, he'd give them that, as the four club members allowed him entry inside the dark room without any quarrel. They nudged him to sit in the middle of the room, across an imposing man who appeared to be their leader.

He took his time in sitting down as he placed his arms calmly upon the armrest. He tried to assess his situation, hoping he would come out of the room unscathed.

"I only come here because you have something of interest to me," he stated as-a-matter-of-factly as he leaned back on the chair nonchalantly, looking like he owned the place. The yellow lamp light, which served as the only source of illumination of the room, bounced off the clear glass of his eyeglasses, making him look more eerie in the middle of the dark room.

The members of the club quickly noted his cockiness, and all of them directed their attention his way, as though anticipating a fight.

"You think you're all that, newbie? You think you can just come in here and talk to me like we're equals?" the older man at the other end of the table chuckled, as his face remained hidden in the darkness. "You're wet behind the ears boy. Go back to the library and study your academics."

"I'll let your insult pass; it's understandable for you not to know who I am… yet." Our hero stated smugly as he faced the side of the room and tilted his head up towards the ceiling. He then cast the leader a sideward glance and added, "after all, the dean's list had not been published yet."

"You're a conceited one. Tell us; what is your name, neophyte? Tell us before I own you," one of the red-faced members grumbled.

"My name?" he shifted once more in the chair and faced the leader squarely this time. "Which name – the one that I use in this world… or in the world only we know?"

"I told you. We are not equals"

"Perhaps," he grinned as he stood up in his chair and approached the leader. His subordinates quickly rushed to his side to push him away yet he remained firm as he pulled something from inside his sleeve. He obtained a card and placed it upon the table forcefully with a loud "thump" and then crossed his arms to let the club members see it.

"You're…. you're an Empire Master IV?!"

He reached up and used his forefinger to raise his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He then brought his hands further up to brush the hair away from his face.

"There are only three persons with the Empire Master IV rank in Thailand!" one of the underlings exclaimed as they crowded around the table to examine the card more carefully.

"The card it says 2010… it means… you… you were the first Thai Empire Master IV?"

His hair moved back down and settled on his forehead, right above the rim of his glasses and it somehow provided a curtain to hide the subtle amusement in his eyes as he peered at them more closely. The club members all looked back from their crouched position by the table and they realized he was taller than he had seemed when he was sitting down across their leader a few minutes ago.

"Who are you? …. What are you….?" The leader asked, sounding appalled.

"Mages of the Lagoon Deckmaster. 2010 Asian Champion. I only go by one name in both worlds… and it's Kavin."

"….Kavin," the club members gasped in unison.

"THEKavinChavalitkul? The seventeen year old who beat the five-time Japanese Champion in the Mages of the Lagoon Deckmaster Asian Card Tournament?!" one of the other club members sputtered, evidently spazzing out.

"…. I'm 21 now actually…" Kavin muttered under his breath.

Someone quickly flicked open the lights and the room they were in looked like an ordinary classroom again. The Mages of the Lagoon Deck ("MLD", for short) Club members looked like your ordinary nerds, with their thick rimmed glasses and strangely combed hair. While they looked like they were about to pull out a calculator on a whim (or actually, they looked like they already have it built in inside their heads), Kavin didn't look that different from them. Of course he was taller and had a more easygoing look about him. Yet like them, his slightly disheveled hair almost covered his eyes while his dark rimmed glasses nearly covered half of his face. He wore jeans and sneakers like the average college student, though the way his attire was put together didn't make him look like them one bit. It's not that he stood out. In fact, if he walked into a crowd, he'd look like someone who'd easily get lost in it, his height aside. He looked… more average than average – perhaps to the point of being a nobody.

Yet now he attained an almost god-like status among the members of the MLD club, although he was just KavinChavalitkul, the resident math whiz of the College of Mechanical Engineering. Besides being identified as the freak of nature that nearly got perfect scores in calculus and trigonometry exams, he virtually is just another average guy in the University.

"What could we do for you, Empire Master!?" the club members exclaimed once more in unison.

Kavin was slightly taken aback, not sure if the sudden turn of events was truly to his liking.

"Er… as I said, you have something that I am interested in."

"Tell us Master! ANYTHING!"

"Er… O…kay…" Kavin gulped as he wondered if it was right for him to reveal his hidden card to these people in the first place. Playing cards had been his hobby, and he thought nothing much of it when he was younger. He never knew that he would receive a cult following because of it. This was the reason why he opted not to join the club in his freshman year in the first place. He was also afraid that membership in the MLD club would put him in a more precarious position. He was already the resident nerd in his class for heaven's sake. Making him the MLD top rank member would probably change his status from a nobody to the university's guinea pig for all sorts of pranks and bullying. He already experienced that in his younger years and he didn't want to go through all that again.

He shook his head, trying to get rid of his recent (horrifying) thought and went back to business. "The other day, during your bi-monthly meeting at the quad… did any of your members notice a …" Kavin stopped, trying to gauge the members before finally saying it. He moved his hands as if to illustrate "… well, notice a toy bunny with a blue jumper and yellow ribbons? It's this small and it's kinda old. Er… I need it back."

The club members visibly sweat-dropped as they heard their new idol's request.

"As a matter of fact, we do have it." The leader blurted out, "we were going to name it Yellow Mage of the Lowlands and make it our mascot considering we discovered that it belonged to…"

Kavin's expression quickly darkened into a serious one, as he placed his hand firmly upon the leader's arm. "Whatever it is you know…. Swear it upon the masters' deck that you would not let any other soul know," Kavin said in a low tone, "Please."

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the leader gave Kavin one firm nod and sealed their man-to-man agreement by walking to the corner of the room and retrieving the said Yellow Mage … er… Bunny from the club room's cabinet.

"Thank you," Kavin smiled brightly upon receiving the toy, giving it a gentle squeeze. He reverted back to his serious expression when he saw the blank stares in the eyes of the MLD members. He secured the toy bunny inside his jacket and clasped his hands together for a solemn wai. "I thank you my comrades, but now I must run."

"Comrades?!" the MLD club members said in unison, looking almost like they were about to break down in tears. They respectfully returned Kavin's wai and bent their head down and refused to look up until Kavin was out of sight.

I'm coming. Wait for me. Please, hang on. He thought as he clutched the toy closer to his chest as he made a run for it. He remembered the way she looked last night when she told him of what happened. She pouted in that way that made her look so cute and yet tore at his heart at the same time. He promised to get it back for her, at whatever cost. He never wanted to let her down, not now not ever.

Now he had to go to her as soon as he possibly can. He ran down the corridor as though he were being chased by a pack of wolves, yet stumbled midway as he saw the sight he least wanted to see.

"Yo! Abacus Finch!"

Kavin cringed as he heard their resident bully's nickname for him ring out on the corridor. He hated that name. Sad to say he hated the guy who gave him that name more.

A big burly man swaggered towards him, blocking his path. He was a typical jock, the varsity team captain of the university's football team. His skin was tan from playing under the sunlight and his muscles were visible from the athletic shirt that he wore. He looked like that even back when they were in elementary school together – and often he wondered if his maturity level stayed the same from that period as well.

"Hey Abacus Finch, what's the big hurry?"

Kavin wondered if he really had a wit inside that thick skull of his or if he simply did not know that the book character's name was really 'Atticus Finch'.

"Oh… hey Pai," Kavin grinned tentatively as he edged towards the side of the corridor, planning his escape.

"Where are you going Abacus? We still haven't had our chat." Pai moved closer and placed his huge hand over Kavin's shoulder. Soon his teammates followed and the big space in the corridor was made narrow by the sheer bulk of the football team who surrounded Kavin.

"Uh… what is it then, Pai? What can I do for you?"

Pai Vacharatrakul then smiled wryly and patted Kavin on the back, nearly knocking the air off his lungs. "You tipped the grading curve off the scales again Abacus, it looks like the passing grade for the midterm exams was raised by five points - All because of you. Imagine that, all my studying down the drain. And I was so proud of my 72% too."

Kavin smiled tentatively, not knowing how to remedy the situation.

Pai's teammates all surrounded him and gave him forceful pats on the back, head, all over, all the while shouting their mock "congratulations."

"Now we have to go to make up classes again to make it to the next semester. What do you have to say about that huh?"

Kavin gulped as rubbed his shoulders, hoping that the brutes' pats won't bruise. "Uh… well, I'll give you guys my class notes after your practice tomorrow. I know how busy you guys are. Wouldn't want to take your time."

"With formulas?"

"Yeah, I like the little drawings too."

"Maybe a smaller version so I can use it as a cheat code next time…"

Before the geniuses of the football team made any other demands, Kavin raked his mind for an escape route.

"Yes, sure guys. I'll prepare it by tomorrow. But right now, I got to run." He grinned nervously as he looked behind Pai. "The girls' swimming team is having a practice game I heard. They'll be debuting their new swimsuits today."

At the mention of girls, swimming and swimsuits, what little of the guys' minds turned to mush. They failed to realize that the university didn't even have a swimming team to begin with.

Kavin pretended to run towards the poolside and the burly guys of the football team swatted him like a fly and he landed on his butt by the curb. When the guys were out of sight, he smiled victoriously and picked himself up, dusted his pants off, and started running once more towards the other direction.

He was several feet away and he already heard the loud cheering from inside. He smiled once more, an excited smile this time as he ran up the stairs towards the back entrance.

The crowd gasped loudly as Nika tumbled backwards after avoiding a kick. She moved to her side and struggled for balance as she tried to outmaneuver her bigger opponent. She raised her hand by her head in a guarding position as she tried to figure out what to do. Feeling a bit panicked, she looked to the bleachers and still failed to see what she was looking for. A bit disheartened, she jumped back and tried to avoid more of her opponent's kicks.

"Cha!"

Her opponent then delivered a fake and then with her other leg kicked her on the side. She was not hurt, but rather taken by surprise by the blow, and she fell to her side. The crowd remained at the edge of their seats, refusing to believe that their princess might actually lose this match. She bit her lip and moved to stand as she looked at the bleachers with her last strand of hope.

Then… in slow motion, the door opened, revealing the bright sunlight from outside. A lone figure entered through the door, with his hair moving about his face as though he had run a mile just to get there. He ran down with wobbly knees, struggling not to tumble down the stairs and then tightly clasped the railings. He moved his head, searching for something until finally their eyes met. He smiled brightly then and took out something from his jacket and waved it at her. He raised his other arm and clenched his fist then she saw his mouth move, seemingly shouting encouraging words at her.

"Kav," she whispered to herself as she smiled, her spirit seemingly revitalized with a new light. She stood more firmly back into position as she eyed her opponent. Her opponent looked at Nika's smile quizzically, not sure how her tired expression changed so quickly. Her smile seemed to mock her and so she lunged forcefully, going for the kill.

Nika stepped back and turned, delivering a powerful high kick that reached her opponent's head. Her opponent staggered back and fell. When she stood back up, Nika went on an offensive and delivered more kicks her way. Soon the bell rang and the match was over, and everyone was relieved at the turn of events.

Nika's coach approached her and patted her on the back as her other team mates gushed about her. She smiled sweetly as she was not able to speak as she was still trying to catch her breath. She then glanced sideward once more and looked up to the bleachers and saw him still looking at her and giving her a thumbs-up sign.

Soon the judges announced that she was the Interschool Taekwondo Women's Champion and the crowd went wild.

Her teammates crowded around her and managed to lift her up, even though she was so tall. Then everything became frenzied as her cheering squad threw flowers at her and some of them even came down the mat to give her bouquets. Her professors were likewise extending their congratulations and even the school paper's journalists were taking her photo and getting her interview.

She did it again, Kavin thought, as he slowly walked down the bleachers, unlike the other students who ran hurriedly towards the mat to get closer to the action. She was and still is good in everything that she put her heart into and he was just so proud of her. Yet he was worried that soon she might be too popular, too perfect, that she'd be out of his reach. As it was, her friends had been trying to alienate him as much as they could but…

How could he possibly stay away from her, when it was she who gave him life?

He observed her from afar as her fans adulated her. She was so beautiful and so precious to him. Perhaps she'll never know just how much he truly lov….

"Move it, man. What are you standing dumbly there for?" One of the Nika fanclub members pushed him aside as he moved closer into the crowd.

"Hey Kavin, here, make yourself useful and put this away," an upperclassman belonging to the taekwondo club said as he dumped a big duffel bag on him. He struggled for balance as he placed the duffel bag on the benches together with the other equipment. He sighed as he looked back at the mat where the others still continued to gather around Nika.

"Kavin! Kavin!"

He looked back and saw Nika's mother and uncle waving excitedly at him.

"Auntie!" Kavin shouted back as he moved to the wall to meet them halfway.

"I'm glad you made it Kavin, we saved a seat for you, you know, but Nika said you were on an errand," Nika's mom said as she gently bent down to ruffle Kavin's hair.

Kavin merely grinned and did a solemn wai to greet them. "Hello Auntie, Uncle. I had to go get something. I made it just in time for the finale. Congratulations to Nika."

Nika's uncle laughed and said, "Congratulations to you too. We all know she wouldn't have made it if not for you. It brings me back to those days when you barely reached my waist. You'd go home all muddy with scratches all over because you got into a fight in the playground."

"That was a long time ago Uncle Kitti," Kavin replied as he shyly brought one of his hands behind his head and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"But look at Nika now, so much of a lady, yet still a little menace at heart."

Kavin looked back at the crowd where Nika was, she smiled so radiantly that it's almost weird when you think about how she was being congratulated now for winning in a martial art.

"Oy Kavin," Kitti started with a wink, "go back there and go get her son. You snooze, you lose!"

Nika's mom laughed as she patted Kavin's shoulder affectionately. "Uncle's right. Go. I think she's looking for you."

He looked back and walked hesitantly. Was she really looking for him? It was a wonder how they remained friends for so long. He was still the same old nerdy Kavin, while Nika bloomed into a flower, a wildflower, but a flower nonetheless. Was he really as important to her as she was to him? Could he really be… could they be more than friends?

Nika smiled politely at the crowd around her, yet she continued to search for him. He was no longer there in that spot where he was a while ago by the bleachers, and she was sure he stayed inside the gym. He always stayed for her, always.

She looked to her side and saw him getting pushed aside once more. Sometimes she wished her classmates would stop teasing him. For such a big guy, he was a softy at heart. She then wondered if perhaps it was too late to teach him some taekwondo moves. She excused herself and moved towards him and after a minute of swimming through the crowd, she finally managed to forge a path towards him.

Kavin looked like he was almost thrown by the path and he moved to regain his balance once again. He turned and raised a hand to adjust his glasses, and when he moved his hand away, she was suddenly right in front of him.

Time froze as they looked at each other's eyes and Kavin suddenly felt his heart beating madly in his chest. She smiled widely at him, that ear to ear smile of hers as she ran towards him. He moved and opened his arms unconsciously by his side as if anticipating her embrace…

"KAV!"

*Thud*

It wasn't an embrace, but a noogie that she gave him. She locked her arms around his neck and he was powerless as he struggled for the nth time for balance as he held his glasses firmly against his head.

"You're late!"

"Gaah! Nika! Ow!"

Nika laughed as she shifted her position and wrapped her arms around one of Kavin's. "Come on!" she exclaimed as she dragged him away from the crowd and outside the gym.

Kavin had no choice but to keep up with her, just as he always had for as long as he can remember.

"Ms. Bluebell says congratulations," Kavin whispered when they were finally alone and away from the crowd as he pulled out the bunny from his jacket and handed it to her.

Nika quickly dropped her hands from his arm and clutched the toy bunny. "You did it! You really did it! Thank you Kav, thank you so much!"

"Anything… anything for you Nika," he whispered under his breath, and Nika seemed oblivious to his words as she hugged the toy bunny and pressed it upon her cheek.

He felt his ears burning and his cheeks throbbing as he gazed upon her joyful face. She then looked at him once more and raised her hand to whack him on the shoulder. "But you're still late!"

Kavin feigned pain as he mock cringed and rubbed the spot she hit. "Ow! Sorry. I encountered some problems along the way."

Her expression quickly changed to a concerned one but Kavin quickly smiled and shook his head.

"We have to celebrate okay? And since you're late, you have to sing the banana song later at dinner okay?"

"When will you get tired of that stupid song," Kavin muttered as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Come on let's go slowpoke!" Nika said as she saw the crowd exiting the gym. "We have to escape!"

She linked one of her arms around him and dragged him away.

He followed closely, not having a choice, not really wanting to make a choice for he knew in his heart he'd follow her anywhere anyway, anytime.

"Does it hurt?" the little girl asked the little boy as he sat by the corner of the small room while looking at his scraped knee.

He shook his head though the little girl could plainly see even behind his glasses that her best friend was nearly in tears.

"That Pai and his friends! I'll get them you know! I swear I'll get them!" Nika said so vengefully, she did not sound like she were seven years old.

"Don't do it Nika, you're a girl and Auntie said you're not supposed to fight with boys." Kavin said as he reached out and tugged at her free arm.

"No! I don't like what they are doing!" She stomped her foot angrily and squeezed her toy bunny tightly with her other arm. "They can't push you off the swing, and they can't hurt Ms. Bluebell anymore! Not in my watch. No!"

Kavin had always known that his best friend had quite a temper. He had known early on not to invoke her wrath and so they have gotten along well since they were in preschool. Yet he knew that fighting was bad – all the more when it was girls who were fighting the bigger guys in the playground.

"Nika, don't. Auntie will just be mad at you. I'm ok. Everything's gonna be ok."

"No Kav!" Nika said as she crouched down beside him. "I'm going to do it, like the ninja kids we saw on TV the other day."

"The ninja kids?" Kavin asked, wondering what she was talking about. "We'll become ninjas?"

Nika nodded. "I saw the older kids in school the other day. They were wearing white and they had different belts, like the ninja kids. I'm going to get a black belt and scare Pai away. You'll see."

Nika's family, which is comprised of her Uncle Kitti, her mom and her grandmother all laughed at the anecdote from Nika and Kavin's past. They all remembered how way back then Nika thought that she can use her black taekwondo belt to whip enemies that's why she trained hard to get one in the first place. She had always been a tomboy as she matched the bigger kids' in fights when they were much younger. It was always Kavin who pulled her out of trouble, although it was also because of him that Nika studied taekwondo in the first place.

"This girl, she wanted to beat up the big boys so bad. Yet one of the first things they teach you in martial arts is not to use it for violence right?" Grandma teased Nika while they were eating dinner.

"What happened to that boy anyway? Doesn't he go to the same college as the two of you?" her mother asked.

"Well… yeah. He's still the same. Even his brain seems the same. I often wonder how he passed the entrance exams," Nika grumbled as she idly moved the food in her plate with a fork. Kavin laughed when he realized he and Nika thought the same. He figured he'd have to tell the story about his encounter with Pai earlier that day to her some other time, or perhaps never.

"Just like Kavin here. Still the same, like he hasn't aged a day," Kitty grinned as he elbowed Kavin. "This boy, you're in this house every day. You might as well move in!"

"Don't be like that Kitti," Nika's mom admonished him lightly. "I love that these two are still here eating dinner with us like they used to way back when. I wouldn't want to change a thing."

"That's what I meant," Kitti said as he waved at his sister. "You guys are still best friends. When will you move huh?" Kitti said as he moved his fork towards Kavin.

Kavin coughed as he choked on his food and Kitti had to quickly pat him on the back.

"Uncle!" Nika wailed, "Kavin and I are best friends. Don't tease him like that. He's like a brother to me. He'll always be my brother and the son that mom never had, isn't that right mom?"

Her mom eyed Kavin and had a knowing smile on her lips. Truth be told, she had the same feelings as her brother, Kitti, but of course she never wanted to force her daughter to move until she's ready. She had seen the way Kavin look at her daughter over the years. Some might call it mother's intuition, or perhaps woman's instincts, but she knew that he was starting to feel for her something more. Her daughter just hasn't realized it yet. Of course she had seen the boy grow up to the man that he was now. Truth be told, she practically raised him together with her daughter. She would support them all the way should they truly be destined to be together.

"Mom?" Nika asked as she saw her mom smiling at Kavin's way, as though deep in thought.

"Ah… yes, yes of course. Kavin is my son. Stop teasing him Kitti."

Kitti shrugged and continued eating. The family continued to eat their dinner, laughing occasionally at some joke or anecdote which they raised. Finally Nika and Kavin excused themselves to walk around the house as they claimed to be so full.

"Auntie's cooking really is the best," Kavin sighed as he sat down the bench and rubbed his full belly.

"Yep. I wish I can learn how to cook like her," Nika sighed as she sat beside Kavin in the bench by their garden and looked at the stars.

Kavin grunted and laughed inwardly when she said the words. He turned away from her, pretending to hide his laughter. Nika slapped his arm playfully and asked what the matter was. She knew of course why he was laughing but she wanted to hear it for herself.

"The last time you cooked something, I had to call the fire department!"

"That was nothing silly! You overreacted!" Nika exclaimed indignantly.

"Yeah… sure I overreacted. The sprinklers in the living room went off with the smoke coming from the kitchen," Kavin said in between giggles.

"Next time I won't be baking cookies for you, ok." Nika muttered with a loud "Hmph!"

"Sorry, sorry, fine. I'll still eat those burnt cookies of yours so please don't stop trying ok?" Kavin said as he tugged at her shoulder. She shook his arms off and continued to mock pout.

"When you learn how to cook like your mom, then it's a sign that you're ready to get married," Kavin whispered half-jokingly as he bumped her shoulder with his slightly.

"Silly," Nika replied silently, as her expression turned into a serious one. She remembered Uncle Kitti's teasing earlier that night and she felt bad for Kavin. She knew in her heart that they can never be what her Uncle wanted them to be and she was sure Kavin felt the same way. She and Kavin were best friends, and that's it.

"Kav, I don't think I'll ever get married."

"Hm?" Kavin turned and eyed her weirdly when she said the words. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm serious Kav. I don't think I ever want to fall in love," Nika said thoughtfully as she looked at the stars. "When dad died, mom was so devastated. I don't want to go through that feeling. I'm so afraid. That's why I don't want to risk it. I don't ever want to fall in love."

Kavin looked at her then and felt his heart sink at the pit of his stomach.

But I already love you, you know?

He looked at her thoughtfully, wondering how he would tell her, especially now that she was so beautiful under the starlight. He had always known that he had always loved her for as long as he can remember. Of course he loved her first as a friend, then as a sister, and now that he knew better, she was starting to be something more to him.

"They say you can't choose not to love. It just happens you know?" he said in that soft tone of his as he continued to look at her as she gazed at the sky.

Nika chuckled, completely missing the look of longing he threw at her. "Silly. Hah, well, I don't know. It'll probably not happen to me. I'm past 18 and I still haven't loved anyone ever."

"It's not too late," Kavin said as he unconsciously clenched his fist to his side.

"Hmm? I never thought you were the romantic type Kav," Nika laughed as she elbowed him. "Why? Have you been in love?"

Kavin gulped as cold sweat trickled down his nape. Must he confess to her? Must it be now?

She looked at him and smiled that sweet smile of hers and his coherence just went down the drain.

"Hah, with that lakorn actress, I suppose, what's her name? Your crush?" Nika laughed as she saw his ears had turned bright red. "Bella Ranee! Haha! You loved her since you saw her for the first time in a magazine in Junior High! See! I remember!"

Kavin sighed as he turned away with the beating of his heart becoming almost deafening.

Nika was completely oblivious to his feelings and he almost laughed at how pathetic his situation was. "Heh, I only saw that magazine because you were hoarding magazines for your scrapbook for that guy, Nadech Kugimiya."

"But…" Nika sputtered, "Yeah, whatever, he's cute, so there." She crossed her arms and turned away from him. They were the best of friends. Of course they'll know each other's secrets. Nika turned slightly and looked at Kavin again even as he continued to look away from her. Could Kavin have been in love? Nah, Kav? That's impossible, Nika thought. She knew he spent too much time studying, tinkering with tools and even playing with those cards of his that it was impossible for him to find the time to fall in love.

Kavin turned slightly and looked back and saw Nika looking at him in the same way. He quickly shifted his gaze and looked at the sky again, not knowing how to dispel the awkwardness he felt.

"But we'll always be together right?" Nika whispered as she unconsciously leaned closer towards Kavin. "We'll be best friends till the day we die?"

"Oy!" Kavin bumped her gently once more when she said the words, "don't say it like that. Just say we'll be best friends forever, or something."

"BFF, that's so corny you know," Nika giggled.

"Yeah, but that's what we are, right?" Kavin said. "Even if you fall in love, I'll support you. I'll always be here for you so you don't have to be afraid, ok?"

Nika was thoughtful for a second at Kavin's words. She did not know why, but the words brought comfort to her heart. Don't be afraid. I'll be here for you.

Yes, he never let her down. She knew it in her heart, she didn't need a lover; she didn't have to fall in love, as long as she had her mom, her grandma, her uncle, and Kavin. She was complete.

"Thanks Sir Kavin," she said, "Thanks also for today."

Kavin smiled as he heard the gentleness in her voice. "You're always welcome Lady Danika," he replied. Perhaps it was better this way; perhaps things did not have to change.

She didn't have to love him back the way he wanted her to. He was happy the way it was. He was complete.

Author's Notes: This is originally posted under my account (040156) in Asianfuse Forums and was written for the Thai Actors James Jirayu (as Kavin) and Urassaya Sperbund (as Nika). the title "A Smile in Your Heart" is a title of a song from the Philippines, which kind of sets the mood in the story. Since the site's rules do not allow posting of lyrics, I can't post it here haha. Thank you very much for reading!