Chapter 18 — Elections and Hearts

Friday night, the night before the official election day, Ngoc sat in her room, trying to review the final speech she would give to the whole school tomorrow morning before students entered the voting booth. But her mind was constantly distracted by a series of scattered thoughts — about tomorrow's results, about the Companion Scholarship Fund, and about Khang.

The phone vibrated, a call came from Khang. Ngoc picked up the phone immediately. "Hi, what's going on?"

"I just want to hear your voice," Khang replied, his voice unusually hesitant. "Are you busy?"

"No, I'm reviewing the speech," Ngoc replied, smiling even though Khang couldn't see it. "But honestly, I can't concentrate very well."

"Me too," Khang admitted. "Do you want to go out for a walk? I think we both need to clear our heads before tomorrow."

Before going out, Ngoc stopped by the living room, where Mrs. Lan was still sewing under the familiar yellow light.

"Mom, can I go out for a while with Khang? Is it okay?" Ngoc asked, putting on a thin shirt.

Mrs. Lan looked up, her eyes filled with affection. "Where are you going at this hour? You have an important speech tomorrow."

"I'm just going for a walk, to relax my mind before tomorrow," Ngoc explained, a bit confused by her mother's eyes.

"Okay," Mrs. Lan smiled, without asking further, but her eyes showed the understanding of a delicate mother. "Come home soon, and... have a nice evening."

Ngoc blushed slightly at that meaningful wish, quickly greeted her mother and walked out of the house, not having time to recognize the warm smile that Mrs. Lan gave to her daughter's back disappearing behind the door.

Half an hour later, the two met at a small park near Ngoc's house, where pale yellow street lights shone down on rows of deserted benches late at night. They walked slowly around the small lake in the middle of the park, the cool air of the early autumn evening filtering through the gentle breeze.

"Are you worried about tomorrow's results?" Ngoc asked, breaking the comfortable silence between the two.

"Yes," Khang admitted frankly. "But not in the way I was worried about at first. Before, I was afraid of losing because I was afraid of disappointing my dad. Now, I simply hope everything we've built — the Scholarship Fund, the Creative Space — will be fully implemented, no matter who's in charge."

"I feel the same way," Ngoc nodded sympathetically. "Strangely, at first I joined this race just because I wanted to win, wanted to prove something. But now, I realize, the most important thing is not the Chairman's chair, but what I have learned, the people I have met along the journey."

The two stopped by the lake, watching the moonlight shimmering on the still water. Khang turned to look at Ngoc, his eyes contained something profound that he had suppressed for a long time.

"Ngoc," he called her name, his voice quiet but full of sincerity. "I have something I want to tell you. I've been meaning to say it for a long time, but I kept procrastinating for fear of complicating things while we're election opponents."

Ngoc turned to look at him, her heart beating faster at that unusually serious look. "What do you want to say?"

Khang took a deep breath, as if gathering all his courage. "I think... I've liked you for a long time, Ngoc. Not just because of what he did in this campaign, but because of who he is — his steadfastness, his tolerance, and the way he always puts others before himself. I know this doesn't seem like the best time to say this, but I don't want to keep it inside anymore."

Ngoc stood silently, her heart pounding at that unexpected but not completely unexpected confession. She looked at Khang and clearly felt the feelings that she herself had been silently nurturing for many weeks but had never dared to name them, from the afternoons together sketching out plans, the belated text messages asking how they were, to the moment he stood up to defend her in front of the whole school without any calculation of gain or loss.

"I..." Ngoc began, her voice shaking slightly, "I have the same feeling, Khang. But I'm also worried, not knowing whether this is the right decision or not, while everything is still so chaotic."

“I don't need an answer right now,” Khang said, his voice gentle and reassuring. "I just want you to know my true feelings, so that no matter what the outcome tomorrow is, even if you need more time to think about it, I don't want to regret not saying it. Over the past few weeks, I kept telling myself I would wait until things were better, but then I realized, there is no truly 'perfect' time, it's just whether I have the courage to be honest or not."

Ngoc smiled, a sense of relief mixed with happiness spread in her heart at that respect and patience. "Thank you, Khang. I need a little more time, but I promise, I won't let this feeling sink into oblivion."

The two of them stood there for a while longer, not saying another word, simply enjoying each other's presence under the gentle moonlight, in the middle of a quiet night on the threshold of an important day that would determine not only the future of the election, but perhaps, the future of their budding relationship.

"Do you remember the first day we met on the same schedule at booth number 3?" Ngoc asked, breaking the silence with a sudden question, her voice full of nostalgia.

"Remember," Khang smiled, his eyes distant as he remembered. "At that time, I joked that standing next to you would make my booth more crowded."

"You were really brazen back then," Ngoc laughed, lightly punching him on the shoulder. "I thought you weren't serious about this election at all."

"Honestly, I wasn't serious at the time," Khang admitted, sounding sincere. "But thanks to you, I've found a real reason to get serious — not just about the election, but about my entire life."

Ngoc looked at him, her eyes filled with warmth. "Me too. I started this journey with only one goal, but along the way, I found more precious things than I ever imagined — including you."

Those words made Khang smile brightly, an indescribable happiness spread in his heart in that quiet night.

"Good night," Khang said as he saw Ngoc back to the gate, his voice still filled with a cute confusion that was rarely seen in him. "And good luck for tomorrow, even though I know, no matter the outcome, you will always be a winner in my eyes." He stood there for a moment, watching until her figure disappeared behind the gate, then turned and walked away, feeling light as if a burden had been lifted for many weeks.

Ngoc smiled, entering the house with her heart filled with new emotions, excitement mixed with happiness, ready to face whatever tomorrow brings — not only as an election candidate, but also as a girl who has just discovered a new, promising chapter in her heart.

Mrs. Lan was still awake, waiting for her daughter in the living room even though it was late. "What's wrong, child?" she asked, her eyes undisguisedly curious.

Ngoc sat down next to her mother, unable to hold back the smile that kept appearing on her lips. "Mom, I think... I just had a very special evening."

"Tell me," Mrs. Lan urged, putting aside her sewing work to give her full attention to her daughter, her eyes undisguisedly curious.

Ngoc briefly recounted, without hiding her emotions, about Khang's confession by the lake. Mrs. Lan listened attentively, her eyes shining with joy for her child.

"So how do you feel?" she asked when Ngoc finished telling.

"I feel the same way about him, mom," Ngoc admitted, her voice soft but sincere. "But I'm a little scared, I don't know if this is the right time or not, while everything is still busy with the election."

"Honey," Mrs. Lan held her daughter's hand, her voice gentle but full of experience, "sincere feelings rarely choose the perfect time to appear. The important thing is whether you trust in who he is, in what he has shown all the time. As for the time, you two can take it slowly, no need to rush."

Ngoc nodded, feeling much more relieved after her mother's sincere advice. She gave her mother a big hug before going to her room, filled with hope and excitement for what tomorrow would bring — not just the election results, but a promising new chapter in her life.