Elias climbed the stairs slowly, each step feeling heavier than the last. His body ached from the hospital, from the heat, from everything. The house was quiet... too quiet. There was no sign of Leo's laughter anywhere, no clatter from the kitchen. Just the soft creak of the old wooden steps under his feet.
He pushed open the door to his room... their room... and stopped. Lila was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his phone in her hands. The screen glowed as she tapped away, her tongue sticking out in concentration.
"Lila?" Elias said, closing the door behind him. "What are you doing with my phone? I thought I left it at school."
Lila looked up, grinning.
"Of course you did! Jace brought it back with your scholarship stuff. He said you dropped your bag when your heat started."
