The air between them felt charged — not dramatic, not loud, but quietly electric.
Velithra shifted her bag on her shoulder. She tried to look normal. Calm. Totally unaffected.
She was failing miserably.
Kai stepped closer, not enough to touch her, but enough that she could feel the warmth radiating off him.
His eyes flicked over her face — searching, thinking, maybe even debating something.
Velithra's voice came out softer than she meant."You said you'd be braver."
Kai exhaled, slow. "I'm trying."
She surprised herself with a small smile. "You're doing fine."
Kai leaned his head slightly to the side."…You think so?"
Her heart tripped. "Yeah."
There was a pause.
Then Kai looked away, scrubbing a hand through his hair like he needed to physically get rid of his nervousness. "Come on," he muttered. "I'll walk you home."
Velithra blinked. "You… want to?"
Kai gave her a look like she'd said something ridiculous."If I didn't want to, I wouldn't ask."
Her breath caught — because he meant it. Every word.
Walking Home
They left the school grounds side by side.Not touching.Not speaking much.
But the silence wasn't awkward.It felt… warm.
Velithra kicked a pebble down the sidewalk. "Your friends were looking at you today."
Kai groaned. "Don't remind me."
"They asked you something?"
"They assumed something," he muttered.
"About…?" she asked carefully.
Kai didn't answer at first. His jaw tightened, his eyes fixed on the path ahead.
Velithra stopped walking.
"Kai?"
He stopped too, turning just a fraction toward her.
"…They think I like someone," he said finally.
Her pulse jumped.
She swallowed. "Oh."
Kai watched her reaction closely — too closely — like her expression mattered more than the question itself.
"Do you?" Velithra asked quietly.
Kai held her gaze.
"…Yeah," he said, barely above a whisper. "I do."
Her breath stilled, every sense sharpening.
She tried to steady her voice. "Are you going to tell me who?"
Kai stepped closer — almost close enough to touch her hand — and leaned in just slightly.
"Eventually."
Her heart crashed against her ribs.
"But not yet," he added under his breath. "I'm still working up to it."
Velithra looked away, cheeks burning. "That's… fair."
A Sudden Change in Him
They walked again, but Velithra kept replaying those words.
Yeah, I do.
Eventually.
Kai wasn't teasing her. He wasn't playing games. He was serious — in that quiet, stubborn way he always was.
Just as they reached the block before her street, the wind shifted, sending Velithra's hair across her face. She tried brushing it aside, but it kept sweeping back.
Kai glanced at her, slowed down, and without thinking—
He reached out.
Not to hold her.Not to grab her.
Just gently sliding her hair behind her ear.
Velithra froze instantly.
Her heart stopped.Her breath stopped.Time stopped.
Kai blinked, realizing what he'd just done.
He pulled his hand back fast. "Sorry. I—"
"No," she said quickly. "I… It's okay."
Kai opened his mouth to say something else, but—
He didn't get the chance.
Interrupted
A loud honk echoed from behind them. Velithra jumped. Kai straightened sharply, all softness instantly replaced by protective instinct.
A car rolled by — just a delivery guy — but the moment was ruined.
Velithra exhaled shakily. "That scared me."
Kai glared after the car. "Idiot."
When he looked at her again, he seemed… frustrated. Not at her, but at the interruption.
Like he had been seconds away from doing something he wasn't ready to admit.
At Her Door
They reached Velithra's house. She stopped on the walkway, turning to face him.
"Thanks for walking me," she said.
Kai shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah."
There was a strange weight to the air — a tension neither of them fully understood yet.
Kai's eyes flicked to her lips for half a second before he snapped them back up.
Velithra noticed.
She pretended not to.
"Well… I'll see you tomorrow," she murmured.
Kai nodded. Then, almost reluctantly, he took a step back.
"…Velithra."
She looked up.
Kai hesitated — visibly fighting with himself.
Then he said it.
"You make it really hard not to say things I'm not supposed to say yet."
Velithra's breath caught.
Before she could respond, he turned and walked away, hands in his pockets, shoulders tense — looking like someone who had reached his emotional limit for the day.
Velithra stood frozen in front of her door, heart pounding so loud she could hear it.
Everything was changing.
And they both knew it.