Outside the venue, the air hums with leftover music and murmurs from the crowd still buzzing about the show. Elias leans against the side of their car, arms crossed, expression unreadable beneath the streetlamp's glow. Kai scrolls lazily through his phone beside him, pretending not to notice the way Elias keeps glancing toward the entrance.
"They're just girls," Kai mutters. "Not ghost sightings."
Elias doesn't reply, but the way his jaw tightens says otherwise.
And then, the doors swing open.
Laughter spills into the night, airy and familiar.
Sofia steps out first, cheeks flushed with delight. Leila follows, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, already changed into something more modest—soft denim, long sleeves, scarf wrapped delicately around her neck once again. The transformation is subtle, but striking. She looks untouched by the performance—more herself than before.
Kai straightens, eyebrows lifting in curiosity. "Well, well."
He steps forward casually, veering slightly in front of Elias. With practiced charm, he approaches the girls, hands tucked in his pockets, smiles slow and disarming.
"Excuse me," Kai says, his voice warm, flirtatious. "I know it's cliché, but… were you part of the show? Because I think I just witnessed a crime. Someone stole the spotlight."
Sofia turns, brows raised, lips twitching in amusement. "Is that your opener? Because I've heard better."
Kai grins. "Good. You seem like someone who doesn't fall easily. That's rare these days."
Sofia arches a brow, clearly entertained. "And you seem like someone who flirts easy. That's not rare at all."
They hover in that space—teasing, magnetic.
Leila, beside them, shifts awkwardly. Her arms are folded gently in front of her, eyes darting around like she's unsure whether to step away or stay. Then she catches the faintest change in Sofia's voice—just a note of interest she's trying not to show.
Leila lifts an eyebrow playfully and tilts her head toward Sofia with a mockingly conspiratorial smile, teasing her silently with her eyes. Sofia glares at her without heat, mouthing, Shut up.
But Leila's about to say something cheeky when—
She feels it.
That presence again.
The weight of a gaze that doesn't just land on her, but seems to reach inside her ribs. A twinge, like déjà vu wrapped in tension.
Her eyes flick across the sidewalk.
And there he is.
The same man from the plane. Tall. Composed. Still.
His hands are tucked into his coat pockets. But it's the eyes—piercing and steady—that stop her breath.
They lock eyes.
Just for a moment.
Something stills in her chest.
Leila straightens slightly, startled by how familiar this feels. A nervous flutter rises under her skin, and before she can catch herself, she gives him a small, shy nod—polite, uncertain.
Elias tilts his head almost imperceptibly in return.
It's nothing.
And yet… it's not.
Leila looks away quickly, trying to act unaffected, but her fingers tug lightly at the edge of her scarf as if trying to anchor herself.
Sofia, oblivious to the silent current between them, is still bantering with Kai.
"So what's your name?" he finally asks, flashing her a smile.
"Sofia," she replies, after a deliberate pause. "You?"
"Kai," he says. "I think we'll get along just fine."
Elias finally moves from his spot, slow and deliberate. Leila doesn't dare look again.
But she can feel it.
Something has shifted.
And this night—just like that one flight—has quietly turned into something unforgettable.
Kai glances at his watch dramatically, then at the quiet street. "It's late," he says, eyeing the girls. "Let us drop you off. No sense wandering through Naples looking for a cab."
"We're fine," Leila replies almost instantly, polite but firm.
Sofia waves him off too. "Thanks, but we can manage."
Kai raises a brow and puts a hand to his chest. "You wound me. I promise I don't bite unless asked."
Sofia laughs despite herself, rolling her eyes. "Wow. You really don't quit, do you?"
"Not when safety's on the line," he replies smoothly. "Besides, we're already parked. Consider it… civic kindness."
Sofia hesitates, then glances at Leila with a look that says I know, I know… but it's just a ride.
Leila sighs softly, reading her friend's expression. She doesn't want to make a fuss. And something in the calm way the tall, silent one—Elias, she finally lets herself think—has kept his distance gives her an odd sense of… not safety exactly, but stability.
"Fine," Leila says. "But only if you promise not to make us regret it."
Kai claps once. "Deal."
The ride is unexpectedly comfortable.
Sofia and Kai slide easily into conversation, their back-and-forth playful and animated. He teases; she counters. She challenges; he basks in it. It's like they've known each other longer than just a night.
Leila, seated beside the window, lets their laughter wash over her while her eyes remain on the nightscape of Naples. She doesn't say much. But she's not uncomfortable either.
Elias sits quietly beside Kai, one arm resting casually over his knee. He doesn't speak, but he watches. Not just Leila—but everything about the way she sits, the way she fidgets with the ring on her finger, the soft rise and fall of her scarf when she sighs.
Leila eventually glances his way and catches him looking.
He doesn't look away.
She lowers her eyes, heart doing something strange against her ribs. Why is it always him she feels when he's near, even when he doesn't speak?
Sofia notices the long silence and smirks. "Does he always speak this little?" she asks Kai, tilting her head toward Elias with exaggerated suspicion.
Kai grins. "He speaks when it matters. Other times, we assume he's just observing humanity for future reference."
Leila chuckles softly, surprising herself.
"Elias," Sofia says, her tone almost teasing. "I'm Sofia. And that's Leila, since no one's done a proper introduction."
Elias nods once. "Nice to meet you."
His voice is low, measured. It carries more weight in three words than most people deliver in entire paragraphs.
Leila doesn't respond right away, but when she glances at him, there's something soft and unreadable in her eyes.
When they arrive at the dorms, the car slows to a gentle stop.
"Thank you," Leila says quietly, already reaching for the door.
"Wait," Kai says quickly. He turns to Sofia, handing her his phone. "Here. So next time you don't reject a perfectly decent ride."
Sofia laughs and types in her number without protest.
As the girls step out, Leila's hand brushes the edge of Elias's sleeve by accident. She looks up, startled.
Their eyes meet.
And for a moment, neither moves.
There's nothing grand in it—no dramatic swell of music, no cinematic spark. Just… awareness. The kind that roots itself deep and quiet and real.
"Goodnight," she says softly, eyes flicking away.
Elias doesn't answer. But he watches her walk away like someone who's just begun to understand the shape of a new language.
Not in words.
But in presence.