The next morning, sunlight streamed through Riven's bedroom window, pooling across the crumpled sheets. He lay there for a while, listening to the faint hum of the city outside, his mind replaying last night's walk with Eli.
It felt unreal. The way Eli had looked at him — like every flaw was a detail worth memorizing. Like he was… enough.
Riven almost didn't want to get out of bed, afraid the world outside would shatter the fragile calm they had found.
By the time he made it to the kitchen, his phone was already buzzing.
A text from Eli.
> Still thinking about last night. Are you free later?
Riven smiled faintly, tapping back a quick reply.
> Always.
---
School was the same in theory — the same hallways, the same rows of lockers, the same murmur of gossip that trailed behind them whenever they passed.
But something was different.
People weren't looking at them with the same sharpness as before. There were still stares, yes, but more curious than cruel now. Like they were watching a movie and wanted to know how it ended.
Even so, Riven caught the flicker of something else — something small, but unsettling — in the way one group of students whispered as he walked by. A glance. A smirk. A phone being quickly tucked away.
He didn't say anything to Eli about it. Not yet.
---
At lunch, they sat in their usual corner. Eli was telling him about a ridiculous argument he'd overheard between two teachers when Riven noticed a shadow fall across their table.
It was Marcus — tall, athletic, one of those people who seemed to think every room belonged to him.
"I heard you're performing at the Foundation Week closing program," Marcus said, voice carrying just enough for nearby tables to hear.
Eli's brow furrowed. "What's your point?"
Marcus smirked. "No point. Just wondering if the two of you are planning on making it… a show. You know, for the whole school to watch."
The comment wasn't direct, but the weight behind it was obvious.
Riven tensed. His fingers curled around his fork.
Eli, however, didn't flinch.
"Yeah," he said simply. "We are. You should come. Might learn something."
Marcus scoffed, muttering something under his breath before walking away.
Riven stared at Eli. "Why didn't you—"
"Because if I bite every time someone tries to provoke me, we'll never get to live," Eli interrupted, calm but firm.
Riven nodded slowly, but the unease lingered. Marcus's words weren't just teasing — they were a warning. A sign that the spotlight was getting brighter.
---
That night, Riven lay awake, the faint hum of the city drifting through his open window.
The day had started with sunlight and ended with shadows.
And as much as he wanted to believe that love alone could shield them, he could feel it — the shift in the air.
Something was coming.
---