The final exam ended with the sound of pencils dropping and chairs scraping. Eli sat still for a moment, staring at the last question like it might vanish if he blinked hard enough. His fingers ached. His brain buzzed. But the pressure was gone — lifted, like fog burned off by morning light.
Outside the classroom, Riven was waiting.
He stood with his back to the wall, hands in his pockets, eyes already on Eli. No smile. Just presence.
Eli stepped into the hallway, and for the first time in weeks, he exhaled without feeling like he might shatter.
"Done," he said.
Riven nodded. "You survived."
Eli hesitated. "Do you want to… walk?"
Riven's answer was immediate. "Anywhere."
They didn't go home.
They walked past the school, past the quiet streets, past the noise of students celebrating. The sun was low, casting long shadows across the pavement. Eli led the way, not speaking at first, just moving — like his body knew where it needed to go.
Riven walked beside him, close but not touching. Their shoulders nearly brushed, and Eli felt the heat of him — steady, grounding.
"I thought I'd feel free," Eli said, voice low. "Like I could finally breathe."
Riven glanced at him. "But?"
"But it's like the air's too thin now. Like I'm waiting for something I can't name."
Riven nodded slowly. "I know that feeling."
They passed a row of houses, the scent of dinner drifting through open windows. A dog barked in the distance. The world felt too normal, too unchanged, for how much had shifted inside Eli.
"I keep thinking," Eli said, "what if this is the last time we walk like this? Just us. Just here."
Riven's voice was quiet. "Then let's make it count."
Eventually, they reached the river.
It was wide and slow, the water catching the last light of day. A stretch of sand curved along the bank, half-hidden by tall grass and trees. No one else was there. Just the sound of water, the rustle of leaves, the hush of evening.
Eli kicked off his shoes and stepped into the sand. Riven followed, close but not touching.
They sat side by side, watching the water.
"I keep thinking I should feel relieved," Eli said. "But I don't. Not really."
Riven glanced at him. "Because it's not over."
"Yeah. The exams are done, but now it's just… waiting."
"For results. For decisions. For everything."
Eli nodded. "I applied to Eastbridge. And Halden. And a few others. But I don't know if I'll get in. I don't know where I'll end up."
Riven was quiet for a moment. "I applied to Halden too."
Eli turned to him, surprised. "You did?"
"I didn't tell anyone. I wasn't sure I'd even try. But I did."
Eli's heart thudded. "So we might… end up in the same place?"
"Maybe."
They sat in silence, the possibility hanging between them like mist.
"I'm scared," Eli admitted. "Of being apart. Of starting over. Of losing this."
Riven's voice was low. "Me too."
"I don't know what I want to study. I don't even know who I'll be in a year."
"You'll still be you," Riven said. "And I'll still want to find you."
Eli's breath caught. "Do you think we'll change?"
"Probably," Riven said. "But I don't think I'll stop needing you."
Eli looked at him — really looked. "I don't want to lose you."
"You won't."
"But what are we?" Eli asked. "I mean… are we something?"
Riven turned to him, eyes steady. "We're everything."
Eli's voice trembled. "I want us to be real."
"We already are."
The light faded. The sky turned lavender, then deep blue. The river glowed silver in the dark.
Eli reached out, fingers brushing Riven's knuckles — a tentative touch, featherlight, like testing the edge of something sacred.
Riven didn't pull away.
Instead, he turned his hand over, letting Eli's fingers slip into his palm. Their skin met, warm and trembling, and Eli felt the world tilt.
Their kiss came slowly. No rush. No bravado. Just the soft press of lips, the quiet gasp of breath, the kind of closeness that made Eli's chest ache. Riven tasted like salt and dusk, like something Eli had been craving without knowing.
Riven's hands found Eli's waist, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt, anchoring him. Eli's own hands slid up Riven's arms, over his shoulders, into his hair — tugging gently, grounding himself in the reality of this moment.
The sand was cool beneath them, the air warm and heavy with summer. Crickets sang in the grass. The river whispered nearby, steady and slow.
They moved together — not rushed, not fumbling. Just close. Just sure.
Eli's shirt lifted over his head, Riven's fingers brushing bare skin. Riven's breath hitched, and Eli felt it like a spark against his ribs. He leaned in, mouth grazing Riven's jaw, then his throat, then lower — tasting the places he'd only dreamed of.
Riven's hands were reverent, exploring Eli's back, his hips, the curve of his spine. Every touch was a question. Every sigh, an answer.
Clothes slipped away, one piece at a time. The sound of fabric against skin, the hush of buttons undone, the soft gasp when bare skin met bare skin — it was all music.
Eli lay back, heart racing, and Riven followed — his body warm, his gaze steady, his touch like a promise.
They didn't speak. They didn't need to.
Riven's mouth found Eli's collarbone, then the hollow of his throat, then the soft skin just below. Eli arched into him, breath catching, fingers digging into the sand. His body felt like fire and water — burning, flowing, undone.
Their legs tangled. Their hips met. The rhythm between them was slow, deliberate, aching. Riven moved like he was memorizing Eli — every curve, every sound, every shiver.
Eli's fingers traced the line of Riven's jaw, the dip of his lower back, the place where his breath stuttered. He whispered Riven's name like a prayer, like a plea, like a vow.
Riven answered with his body — with the press of his chest, the slide of his thigh, the way he held Eli like he was something precious.
The stars blinked into view. The river kept flowing. And in that quiet, hidden place, Eli and Riven chose each other — fully, fearlessly, without hesitation.
They came together in a rush of heat and breath and trembling limbs, the world narrowing to the space between them. Eli's cry was soft, broken, beautiful. Riven's was low, guttural, like something pulled from the depths.
After, they lay tangled in the sand, the world hushed around them.
Riven's head rested on Eli's chest. Eli's hand moved slowly through Riven's hair, fingers threading the strands like silk.
"I meant it," Eli said, voice raw. "I'm not going anywhere."
Riven's voice was barely audible. "Then neither am I."