The world outside buzzed with its usual chaos—friends laughing in the cafeteria, teachers reminding them about projects, the cold wind nipping at their faces as they left school. But that evening, Eli and Kai chose a different path home, one that wound through quieter streets and eventually led them to the park, where snow still clung stubbornly to the ground.
The benches were mostly empty, patches of frost glimmering faintly under the streetlamps. The air was crisp, almost sharp in Eli's lungs, yet somehow calming. They found a spot near the fountain, its water frozen over, and sat together. Their shoulders brushed lightly, and their shadows stretched long across the pavement in the orange glow of the lamps.
For a while, neither spoke. Eli fiddled with the zipper of his jacket, pulling it up and down just to keep his hands busy. He stole glances at Kai, who leaned back comfortably, gaze lifted to the sky as twilight deepened into indigo. Kai always looked so at ease, as if even the cold couldn't touch him. Eli envied that calm.
Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, Eli broke the silence. His voice was quiet, almost hesitant. "It feels… strange."
Kai turned his head slightly, one eyebrow raised. "Strange?"
"That we're… like this now." Eli's cheeks burned, but he forced himself not to look away. "Closer. More than before. It feels like I'm still trying to catch up to it."
For a heartbeat, Eli thought Kai might tease him. Instead, Kai's smile was gentle, steady. He shifted just a little closer until his knee brushed against Eli's, a deliberate touch that sent heat rushing up Eli's chest despite the cold around them.
"Strange isn't always bad," Kai said softly.
Eli's breath caught. His first instinct was to laugh it off, to retreat behind some clumsy joke—but he didn't. Instead, he let himself lean into the warmth of Kai's presence, letting it seep through the layers of his nerves.
The silence that followed wasn't heavy. It was soft, like the blanket of snow lying quietly across the park. Their breaths mingled in little puffs of white, fading quickly into the winter air.
Kai leaned forward slightly, resting his arms on his knees. His tone was calm but carried an honesty that made Eli's heart squeeze. "You don't have to force yourself to figure everything out right away, Eli. Just being here with you… that's enough for me."
Something loosened in Eli's chest, the doubts he had carried for days softening under Kai's words. For the first time in a while, the tightness inside him gave way to something lighter—something that warmed him from within despite the icy wind brushing his cheeks.
His lips curved into a quiet, almost shy smile. He didn't say thank you, didn't try to find the perfect response. He simply let the feeling sink in, knowing Kai would understand without him having to explain.
They stayed like that for a long while, simply sitting in each other's company. The world around them carried on—cars passing in the distance, snow crunching under the feet of the occasional passerby—but for Eli and Kai, time slowed. The chill of winter faded into the background, forgotten between them.
No teasing friends. No questions hanging over their heads. Just this stillness, this fragile but certain closeness.
A moment that belonged only to them.