School life slipped back into its usual rhythm—lectures, assignments, laughter echoing in the hallways—but for Eli, nothing felt quite the same anymore. Walking beside Kai to class, sharing snacks at lunch, or even the small, casual smiles exchanged across the room… each little moment carried a weight it hadn't before. They weren't just friends anymore.
No one else knew, though.
To everyone else, Kai and Eli looked the same as always—close, maybe a little too close. Their friends kept up the usual teasing, nudging Eli whenever Kai lingered by his side or when their hands brushed "by accident." In group activities, whenever they ended up choosing the same answers, Mina laughed and said, "You two are practically joined at the hip."
Eli laughed it off, cheeks burning, while Kai only smirked, never bothering to deny but never confirming either.
Yet when the noise of school life faded away—when they walked home together beneath the fading light, or leaned side by side at the convenience store counter sharing a bag of chips—there was no mistaking it. The closeness between them was real. Unspoken, but real.
Still, Eli carried an unease he couldn't quite shake. What if one day their friends stopped joking and started asking in earnest? What if people stopped smiling and started frowning? What if their families—his family—didn't approve? Each thought curled uncomfortably in his chest, making him hesitate whenever Kai's hand brushed his under the table, or when Kai's gaze lingered too long.
Kai seemed to notice. He always noticed. But he never forced the words out of him. One chilly evening, their breath visible in the fading twilight, Kai simply said, "We don't have to tell anyone until you're ready." He gestured lightly between them, his smile soft. "This… it's ours. I don't mind keeping it that way."
Eli nodded, his throat tight, caught between relief and guilt.
But a few days later, sitting with their circle in the cafeteria, the conversation turned in a direction Eli hadn't expected. Jace had been rambling about some new drama he'd started watching, and without warning, Mina asked casually, "Hey, what would you guys think if two of our classmates—like, two guys—started dating for real?"
The table went quiet for a moment, spoons and forks pausing mid-air.
Mina shrugged quickly, her tone open. "I mean, I'd be fine with it. Love is love, right? If they're happy, then good for them."
Jace grinned, always the energetic one. "Yeah, same. Honestly, I'd think it was kind of cool. Brave, even."
Caleb leaned back in his chair, mischief in his eyes. "Depends on the guys. If it was, like, Eli and Kai—"
Eli nearly choked on his drink, while the table erupted with laughter.
But Leo, thoughtful as always, didn't laugh. He hesitated before saying quietly, "I don't know… My family's really strict about stuff like that. Religion and all. They wouldn't approve." He glanced down at his food, shoulders stiff. "So I guess… I'd probably struggle with it too. Not because I hate it, but because I grew up hearing it's wrong."
The table grew quieter after that.
Eli's chest tightened at Leo's words, his unease swelling again. Mina quickly reached over to nudge Leo's arm. "Well, that's your family. Doesn't mean it's the truth."
"Yeah," Jace added, his grin returning. "If people care about each other, that's what matters. End of story."
As the group drifted back into lighter chatter, Caleb didn't join in right away. Instead, he studied Leo from the corner of his eye, something unreadable flickering in his gaze. Suspicion, maybe curiosity, maybe something softer. He didn't press, didn't tease, but the glance lingered just long enough for anyone paying attention to notice.
Eli, caught up in his own storm of emotions, barely saw it. But Kai, ever observant, seemed to. His lips curved faintly, as if he'd just discovered another secret waiting quietly at their table.
The moment passed, the laughter returning, but something unspoken hung in the air—between Eli and Kai, and now, faintly, between Caleb and Leo too.