It was Riven's idea.
"Just… one day," he said, standing in Eli's doorway with a backpack and the hint of a smile. "No school. No rumors. No fights. Just us."
Eli blinked at him. "You're skipping class?"
"Technically," Riven shrugged. "We're on a mental health break."
Eli almost laughed — almost — but stopped when he saw how serious Riven's eyes were. There was a softness there Eli rarely saw, a kind of hunger for quiet that matched the exhaustion in his own bones.
So he didn't argue. He grabbed his jacket instead.
---
The Day Off
They found themselves wandering through the old streets near the university district, unhurried and anonymous among strangers.
Eli bought taho from a street vendor. Riven stole the first sip. They shared a crepe from a tiny stall tucked between bookstores. Eli dragged Riven into a thrift shop just to laugh at ridiculous button-ups. Riven secretly bought one when Eli wasn't looking — white with little cartoon suns — because Eli smiled when he held it.
Everywhere they went, no one cared who they were.
They were just two boys, laughing too loudly in bookstore aisles, arguing over whether iced or hot coffee was better, brushing shoulders every chance they got.
And God — when Riven realized how naturally his fingers reached for Eli's every time they crossed the street — he thought maybe this, this, was what freedom tasted like.
---
Sunset by the Bay
Hours later, they sat on the sea wall, the sky bleeding orange and pink.
Eli dangled his legs, toes brushing the breeze, hair blown wild by salt wind. Riven watched him more than he watched the view.
"Why are you staring?" Eli asked, cheeks tinted gold.
"Because I want to remember you like this," Riven said without thinking. "When everything's soft and nothing hurts."
Eli's breath hitched.
Slowly, he reached into his pocket and pulled out something small and folded.
"Then remember this too," he whispered.
It was a photobooth strip — four grainy pictures from earlier:
1. Eli giggling as Riven poked his side.
2. Riven trying not to smile.
3. Their faces pressed close, laughing.
4. Riven kissing Eli's cheek, Eli's eyes closed in surprise.
Riven's chest tightened. "You kept it."
"It's our first good memory no one can twist," Eli said softly. "One that belongs to just us."
Riven stared at the strip, protectively smoothing its edges. Then without warning, he turned and pressed his lips to Eli's — slowly, firmly, as the sea wind rushed around them.
Eli kissed him back with equal softness, hands clutching the front of Riven's shirt.
When they pulled away, cheeks flushed, Riven exhaled a shaky breath.
"I love you," he whispered.
It was quiet. Vulnerable. Terrified. True.
Eli's eyes shone a little when he said it back.
"I love you too."
In that moment, surrounded by crashing waves and painted skies, nothing else mattered — not the past, not the rumors, not even tomorrow.
Only the startling, beautiful truth that somehow, against every odd and every storm… love had lingered long enough to grow.
---