Eli didn't remember signing up for emotional exhaustion, physical labor, and decorating supervision all in one week. But here he was.
The classroom looked like a tornado had married a maid café and had kids made of glitter. Paint cans littered the corners. Cardboard cutouts of teacups and frilly aprons hung from the ceiling at odd angles. Someone had made a banner that said "Class 2B's Magical Maid Lounge," and someone else—probably Jay—had added sparkles in entirely the wrong places.
Eli stood on a chair, taping up a fabric drape near the back of the room.
"Left side's sagging," came a voice below.
He looked down.
Emma was standing beneath him, arms folded, eyes scanning the edge of the cloth like she was calculating an equation.
Eli adjusted it. "Better?"
She stepped closer, took hold of the other end, and pulled it up with surgical precision.
"Now it's symmetrical," she said.
He blinked. "You can tell by eye?"
"I'm the president of the math club."
"Right."
He climbed down, and they both stepped back to admire the balance.
Emma didn't say anything for a moment.
Then, quietly, "I like seeing you focus like that."
Eli glanced at her.
"You look serious, but not stressed. Like when you draw."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just fabric."
"Doesn't matter. You still treat it with care."
Their eyes met. Her expression softened, but she quickly turned toward a stack of folded napkins.
"I'll check on the centerpiece designs," she muttered.
Eli watched her go.
There it was again—that flicker of vulnerability behind her walls.
Meanwhile, Jay was teaching two guys how to tie bowties incorrectly while stealing leftover cupcakes.
"Bro, I'm just saying," he declared, "maid outfits are great, but if we add cat ears—"
"No," said Brooke, cutting him off as she passed by with a tray of glasses. "We're not turning this into a cosplay zoo."
Jay turned to Eli with a "help me" look.
Eli shrugged.
Brooke stopped in front of them and set down the tray.
"You need a break," she said to Eli, brushing lint off his shoulder. "You've been running around like the festival depends on your sanity."
"It kind of does," he replied.
She grinned. "Then we're doomed."
She tugged gently on his wrist. "Come on. Walk with me."
He didn't resist.
Outside, the sun was already dipping behind the gym roof, casting warm orange streaks across the courtyard.
They walked slowly.
Brooke let her hand brush against his once, then pulled it away like it was an accident. But Eli wasn't sure it was.
"You're not the guy I thought you were," she said finally.
"That sounds ominous."
"I mean it in a good way. You're quieter than I expected. But your art? It's loud. Honest. Deep."
She glanced sideways at him.
"You drew me like I was strong. Unshakable. I want to be that. For real."
He looked down at the ground. "You kind of already are."
She stopped.
He turned to face her, and for a moment, they stood there alone.
Brooke leaned in just a little. "You sure know how to say the right things without trying."
Then she smirked and flicked his forehead.
"I'm going back in before Jay dresses himself in ruffles again."
She walked off without waiting for a reply.
Eli stood there, heart racing, trying to convince himself that wasn't almost a moment.
Back inside, Lila was carefully arranging ribbon-wrapped menus at each desk.
She glanced up when Eli returned and smiled softly.
"Welcome back."
He walked over and helped her adjust the placement of a centerpiece.
She fidgeted with the edge of the ribbon. "You're really good with your hands."
Eli froze.
"I mean—craft-wise!" she added quickly, cheeks turning red. "Like, the way you make everything look nice. It's calming to watch."
He chuckled. "Thanks. You're really good at this, too. All the details are clean."
Lila beamed.
"Want to see the special desserts I designed for the café?"
She opened a small sketchbook she had tucked in her bag. Each page had cute drawings of parfaits, pastries, and drinks with sparkles and tiny hearts.
"These are adorable," Eli said, flipping through them. "You drew these?"
Lila nodded shyly. "I was inspired. Watching you sketch gave me confidence to try again."
He looked at her and smiled. "They're great. Really."
She closed the book quickly, clearly flustered, and pressed it to her chest.
"I hope the real versions taste half as good as they look."
"They will," he said.
She hesitated. "Would you… sit at my table during the festival? Just for a little while?"
Eli blinked. "You're working the café, though."
"I know. But just seeing you there would make me feel braver."
He gave a small nod. "I'd like that."
Her face lit up.
Later that evening, just as Eli was packing up his supplies, Mia arrived.
She was late. Her bag hung off one shoulder, and she carried a small box of handmade coasters.
"I hope I'm not too late," she said, setting the box down gently.
"You're right on time," Eli said.
She looked around the room. "You've all done so much. It's beautiful."
He watched her run her fingers across a sketch he'd taped to the wall.
"It's starting to feel real," she said softly. "I haven't worked on something like this with other people in… years."
Eli walked over. "I'm glad you joined us."
Mia nodded. "I've been practicing more."
She pulled out a folded sheet from her bag and handed it to him.
A drawing. A scene of the classroom mid-decorating chaos. Captured with soft lines and light shading. It wasn't polished, but it had emotion.
"You remembered all this from memory?" Eli asked.
Mia nodded. "I wanted to draw the feeling. Not just what it looked like."
He smiled. "That's exactly it."
They stood quietly for a second.
"I think I'm almost ready," she said.
"For what?"
"To be drawn. By you."
Eli blinked.
"I just need a little more time," she added, then turned to leave.
Eli watched her go, wondering when his life had stopped being simple.
---
That night, Eli sat on the edge of his bed, sketchbook open, mind full.
He wasn't drawing anyone in particular. Just pieces of scenes. Lila's smile. Brooke's boldness. Emma's calculating eyes softening when she wasn't thinking. Mia's calm presence that somehow lingered even after she left the room.
He wasn't sure how much more his heart could take.
But he couldn't stop drawing.
The next morning, everything exploded.
Jay burst into the classroom at full speed.
"Emergency!" he shouted. "One of the decoration banners fell and knocked over the dessert samples!"
Eli groaned.
By the time he reached the room, frosting was everywhere.
Lila was kneeling by the ruined tray, pouting like she'd lost a pet.
"I can fix these," she said, eyes fierce.
Emma was already sweeping up shattered glass.
Brooke pulled Eli aside. "Okay. We have three hours until the judges inspect the setups. We need to salvage this."
Mia arrived seconds later, already pulling out ribbon from her bag.
Everyone fell into place like it was instinct.
Lila remade the parfaits. Mia rewrote menu signs with her neat, elegant handwriting. Emma rewired the light stand that had fallen. Brooke rallied the class into redoing the decorations.
And Eli?
He drew.
Quick sketches to guide layout, new nameplates, centerpiece patterns, and a redesigned signboard that Mia offered to paint.
It wasn't just chaos. It was chemistry.
They moved as a team. Almost as something more.
When the final tape was pressed and the room glowed again, everyone stood back and sighed in relief.
They had done it.
Together.
That afternoon, the festival began.
Eli wore a butler vest (against his will), and greeted guests alongside Brooke and Lila. Mia managed the seating chart with calm authority. Emma floated between tasks, clipboard in hand, adjusting everything by the millimeter.
The booth buzzed with compliments.
"You guys really went all out."
"This is better than the cafe last year."
"Who designed the sketch wall? It's beautiful."
Eli smiled quietly from his corner.
It wasn't just his work being praised. It was all of them.
Each of the girls, in their own way, had brought something unique to the space.
And each one had brought something new out of him.
That night, after the crowd thinned out and the lights dimmed, they gathered in the room again.
Jay flopped on the floor, exhausted but grinning.
"We did it," Brooke said, raising a paper cup.
"To Class 2B's chaotic, slightly romantic, and illegally artistic maid cafe."
Emma actually laughed.
Lila giggled softly beside her.
Mia nodded with a small, content smile.
Eli looked around at the four girls.
All of them close.
All of them connected to him.
He couldn't help but wonder—how much longer could things stay this peaceful?
Because something was definitely brewing just beneath the surface.