Riven's POV
The warmth of Eli's shoulder still lingered against him the next morning.
Even though they had gone their separate ways at the rooftop, even though there were no kisses—just silent understanding—Riven felt like something permanent had settled in his chest.
Peace, maybe.
Or the terrifying beginning of something real.
He stared at his reflection in the library mirror between lectures. His stethoscope hung around his neck, textbooks pressed to his chest, and yet…
He didn't feel like the Riven Castillo everyone knew.
He felt... softer. Unguarded.
All because of one boy with paint-stained fingers and a voice as quiet as rain.
And just as impossible to ignore.
---
Eli's POV
Riven hadn't texted all morning.
But that was okay. Eli wasn't panicking like before. He wasn't spiraling.
Because he'd seen the way Riven looked at him under the stars.
You don't look at someone like that and walk away so easily.
Still, doubts itched at the edges of his mind like old scars. What if that night was a moment, not a beginning? What if Riven changed his mind?
What if love wasn't enough?
He shook the thoughts off, focusing on the canvas in front of him.
But then—his phone buzzed.
> 📩 Riven: "Meet me at the art room. 4 PM. I brought snacks. And... something else."
Eli blinked.
And for the first time in weeks, he smiled before he could stop himself.
---
Later – The Art Room
When Eli entered, Riven was already there—sitting cross-legged on the paint-splattered floor, two bubble teas and a plastic bag of spicy chips beside him.
"What's the 'something else'?" Eli asked cautiously, sitting down across from him.
Riven hesitated.
Then pulled out a folded piece of paper.
Eli's heart skipped.
"Another letter?"
Riven shook his head. "A drawing. I tried... to draw how I see you."
He handed it over without looking up.
Eli unfolded it slowly.
It wasn't perfect. The lines were rough. The hands were shaky. But the drawing was alive.
It was him—standing under the moonlight, eyes soft, surrounded by stars that didn't quite form constellations but almost did.
"I don't know how to draw," Riven muttered, eyes still down. "But I wanted to try."
Eli stared at it, stunned.
Then said, barely above a whisper, "You see me like this?"
"I always have."
---
But then—
A loud knock.
Riven jolted, stuffing the snacks behind him as the door opened.
"Castillo?" a sharp voice called. "Your father's assistant just called. He said there's a meeting. Important."
Riven froze.
Eli turned.
The man in the doorway glanced between them. Judged the space. Judged the silence.
And then: "I hope this isn't a distraction, son."
Riven stood slowly. His jaw tightened.
"No. It's not."
But Eli already felt the shift.
The old Riven. The walls creeping back.
And as he watched him go—shoulders tense, mask returned—Eli whispered the words he didn't want to believe:
"Please don't disappear again."
---
Riven's POV – Later That Night
He sat in his car long after the meeting, gripping the steering wheel like it was the only thing holding him together.
"You're the heir, Riven. You don't have time for nonsense."
That's what his father had said.
But Eli wasn't nonsense.
Eli was the only real thing in Riven's life right now.
And yet, he couldn't escape the feeling that if he kept choosing Eli, he would lose everything else—his family, his future, the version of himself he'd been forced to become.
But when he closed his eyes, he saw that drawing again.
Eli's soft eyes.
The almost-stars.
And for the first time in his life…
He wondered if losing everything else would be worth it.
Just to keep him.
---