Elia didn't plan her glow-up.
It wasn't dramatic.
It wasn't loud.
It was quiet. Intentional. For her.
She started waking up earlier.
Drinking water.
Sketching again—not heartbreak, not Kael, just herself.
She dyed her hair a shade lighter.
Bought a lipstick that made her feel like she could rewrite her story.
She stopped checking his feed.
Stopped waiting for his name to light up her screen.
Stopped shrinking herself to fit into someone else's silence.
Her friends noticed first.
"You look different," they said.
"You look… lighter."
She smiled.
Not because she was over it.
But because she was finally choosing herself.
Then Kael saw her.
It was a campus event.
She walked in wearing a soft blue dress, her sketchpad tucked under her arm, her smile effortless.
She wasn't trying to be seen.
But she was.
Kael froze.
His eyes lingered.
She saw it.
He walked over.
Not close. Just enough.
"Hey," he said, voice unsure.
She turned.
"Hi."
"You look… good."
She nodded. "Thanks."
He hesitated.
Like he wanted to say more.
Like he wanted to rewind.
But Elia didn't offer space.
Not anymore.
She walked away.
Not out of spite.
Out of peace.
Because her glow-up wasn't for him.
It was for the girl who cried on rooftops.
For the girl who wrote unsent letters.
For the girl who survived being ghosted.
Kael noticed.
But he noticed too late.