It happened during group work.
Velithra had been paired with two classmates she didn't usually talk to. Kai was across the room, close enough to see her but not close enough to intervene—and she was glad for that.
One of the boys in her group made an offhand comment.
"I didn't think you were the dating type," he said casually, not looking up from his paper.
Velithra paused.
Old instinct: laugh it off.Make a joke.Disappear inside the moment.
But she didn't.
"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked calmly.
He shrugged. "I don't know. You just seemed… closed off."
The words didn't sting the way they used to.
Velithra straightened slightly in her seat. "Maybe I just didn't feel like explaining myself to everyone."
The boy blinked, clearly not expecting that answer. "I didn't mean anything bad."
"I know," she replied evenly. "But people don't always see the full picture."
The conversation moved on after that—awkward for a second, then normal again.
Across the room, Kai had gone still when he first heard the comment. He didn't step in. He didn't interrupt.
He watched.
And when Velithra handled it herself—steady, composed—something in his expression softened with quiet pride.
After class, he caught up to her in the hallway.
"You didn't need me," he said, not as a question.
Velithra smiled faintly. "I know."
He studied her for a second. "You were calm."
"I didn't want to be defensive," she admitted. "I just didn't want to shrink."
Kai nodded slowly. "You didn't."
They walked toward the exit, shoulders brushing lightly.
"Does it feel different?" he asked.
"What?"
"Being seen," he clarified.
Velithra thought about it.
"Yeah," she said. "But not in a bad way. I don't feel exposed. I feel… solid."
Kai smiled. "I like that."
They stopped at her gate like always, the street quiet around them.
Velithra turned to him. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"For not stepping in," she said. "You trusted me to handle it."
His answer came easily. "I trust you. Period."
Her chest warmed at that.
She leaned in, pressing a soft, quick kiss to his cheek this time—unexpected, but sure.
Kai blinked, then laughed quietly. "Was that for confidence?"
"Maybe," she replied, smiling.
As she walked inside, she realized something important:
Being with Kai wasn't about hiding behind him.
It was about standing taller beside him.
And that was a difference she could feel growing every day.