Velithra learned quickly that being together didn't mean being invisible.
By the end of the week, questions started to surface—not confrontational, just curious. A glance here. A raised eyebrow there. Someone finally asked it out loud during lunch.
"So… are you two a thing now?"
The table went quiet.
Velithra felt the old instinct flare—the urge to deflect, to make herself smaller, to laugh it off so no one would look too closely.
She opened her mouth.
Kai answered first.
"Yeah," he said calmly. "We are."
No drama.No challenge.
Just truth.
Velithra's chest tightened—but not in a bad way. She looked at him, surprised, and he met her gaze like he wasn't worried about who heard.
"Oh," the girl said, blinking. "Okay. That's… cute, actually."
The conversation moved on just like that.
Velithra sat there stunned.
Later, when they were alone in the hallway, she finally spoke. "You didn't even hesitate."
Kai shrugged slightly. "I didn't see a reason to."
She studied him. "What if people judge?"
"They might," he said. "But they don't get to decide what this is."
She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not making it a big deal," she said. "And for not making me explain myself."
Kai smiled faintly. "You don't owe anyone a version of you they can understand."
That stayed with her.
That afternoon, Velithra felt the weight of the day settle in once they reached her street. She slowed near her gate, fingers curling around her bag strap.
"This is the part where I usually overthink everything," she admitted.
Kai leaned against the fence beside her. "Want help with that?"
She smiled. "Maybe just… remind me I'm doing okay."
"You are," he said without hesitation. "You're showing up. You're not running. And you're letting yourself be happy."
Her eyes softened. "That sounds like a lot when you say it like that."
"It is," he replied. "And you're handling it."
They stood there for a moment, the air quiet and familiar.
Velithra reached out this time, taking his hand fully.
Not testing.Not tentative.
Just choosing.
Kai squeezed her hand once, grounding and warm.
"I'll see you tomorrow," she said.
"Yeah," he replied. "I'll be here."
As she walked inside, Velithra realized something important.
Being with Kai didn't make everything easier.
It made it worth facing.
And that felt like something she could grow into.