The last class of the day felt twice as long for Velithra.
Her teacher's voice sounded like a distant radio humming somewhere behind her thoughts. Every minute felt slow, stretched thin by anticipation she kept trying — and failing — to calm down.
Kai had said: I'll see you after school.
No hesitation. No doubt.
Just certainty.
Velithra tried not to stare at the clock, but her eyes kept drifting up like they had a mind of their own. Every time the seconds ticked by, something in her chest tightened — not fear, not dread… something warmer.
Something she wasn't used to.
Her fake friends kept sending her side-glances, whispering behind cupped hands. She didn't care. Not today. The cold static of her old world didn't touch her the same way anymore.
Not when Kai existed.
Finally — finally — the bell rang.
She stood up quickly, trying to look casual but feeling anything but. People filed out around her, loud and chaotic, but she moved through them quietly, scanning the hallway—
And then she saw him.
Kai stood leaning against the wall outside her classroom, hands in his pockets, head tilted slightly down. His dark hair fell over his eyes, but when he lifted his gaze—he looked at her like he'd been waiting the whole time.
Velithra's breath hitched.
He pushed off the wall, walking toward her with slow, steady steps. No theatrics, no smirk — just that quiet intensity that made her feel seen in a way she wasn't ready for but craved anyway.
"You're fast," he said softly.
"You were already here," she murmured back.
His lips twitched. "Yeah. I guess I was."
They fell into step together, heading toward the exit. Students parted around them, whispering, staring, trying to figure out what was going on — but neither of them acknowledged it.
Kai didn't look at anyone else.
Only her.
As they reached the courtyard, Velithra hugged her backpack straps and asked, "Why did you wait?"
Kai glanced sideways at her, jaw shifting slightly before he answered.
"…I didn't want your day to end alone."
Velithra stopped walking.
The air felt thicker suddenly, the world quieter, like everything muted just to highlight those words.
Kai stopped a step ahead of her, turning back.
"Is that okay?" he asked — voice low, careful, almost vulnerable beneath the calm.
Velithra's fingers trembled.Nobody had ever considered something that small.Nobody had ever thought she might want someone there at the end of the day.
"…Yeah," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "It's… more than okay."
Kai's eyes softened — a rare expression, one she was starting to recognize as something meant only for her.
He stepped closer, slow, deliberate.
"Good," he murmured.
Velithra swallowed, her pulse stumbling. She could feel heat rising to her cheeks, feel the gravity pulling her toward him.
Kai looked like he was fighting with himself again — wanting to come closer, wanting to hold back. His hand twitched at his side.
And for a moment…
just a moment…
it looked like he might reach for her.
But then a group of kids burst out the school doors, laughing loudly, and the spell broke. Kai straightened, slipping his hand back into his pocket.
"Walk with me?" he asked.
Velithra nodded, breathless. "Always."
Kai looked at her like that answer did something to him—something he didn't show often, but couldn't hide right now.
And together, they walked off school grounds, side by side, unaware that whatever existed between them had just shifted again…
…closer.