The rain came down in fine, cold needles, soaking through Riven's jacket as he waited outside the café.
Eli was late. Again.
He told himself it was fine, that maybe the group project had run over. But when Eli finally appeared, Mika was right beside him — holding the umbrella they were sharing.
Something inside Riven snapped.
"You could've texted," Riven said, voice low but sharp.
Eli blinked, caught off guard. "I— I was going to. We just—"
"We?" Riven's gaze flicked to Mika, who stepped back with a half-smirk that only made the knot in Riven's chest tighten. "Guess you didn't need me anymore."
"That's not what this is," Eli said quickly, lowering his umbrella. "You're making it sound like—"
"Like what? Like you've been spending more time with him than with me?" Riven's words came faster now, sharper, each one laced with the jealousy he'd been swallowing for days. "Do you even realize how it feels to watch you laugh with him like I'm not even there?"
Eli's eyes flashed with something — hurt, maybe anger. "You think this is about replacing you? Riven, I'm working on a project. That's it. You're the one making this into something ugly."
The words hit harder than Riven expected. "Ugly?" His laugh was short, bitter. "Maybe it's ugly because I care, Eli. Because for once in my life, I actually—" He stopped himself, the rest lodged in his throat.
They stood there, rain soaking both of them now, silence stretching and breaking only with the sound of water hitting pavement.
Finally, Eli said, softer, "If you can't trust me, then… I don't know what we're doing."
He turned and walked away before Riven could answer.
For a long time, Riven just stood there, watching the blurred outline of Eli's figure fade into the rain.
And for the first time since they'd found each other, he felt the terrifying weight of maybe losing him for good.