Velithra woke before her alarm.The sky outside her window was pale, the kind of fragile light that didn't quite belong to morning yet.
Her body felt heavy.Not tired — just… weighed down. Like her mind had been somewhere else all night, running through places she couldn't remember.
She sat up slowly, pressing a hand to her chest. Her heart was racing for no reason.And in the silence, one word slipped out before she could stop it.
"Kai."
It wasn't loud — barely a whisper. But it left her trembling.
She tried to shake it off. Got dressed. Brushed her hair. Went through every familiar motion.But the unease didn't fade. It followed her — quiet, invisible, clinging to her like a scent.
When she stepped outside, the air was cold and sharp. The walk to school blurred by in fragments — the sound of footsteps, the chatter of passing students, the faint hum of cars.Everything looked the same, but felt off.
She kept checking her phone, half-hoping, half-dreading a message from him. Nothing.
By the time she reached class, her stomach was in knots.Her friends were already whispering in their corner, talking about weekend plans and some new rumor she didn't care to follow.
Velithra barely heard them. Her eyes went straight to Kai's desk.Empty.
Her throat tightened.
She sat down, trying to focus on the teacher's voice, but every second that passed without him there made the feeling worse — that heavy, crawling anxiety that didn't make sense but refused to leave.
Then, just as she began to think he might not come at all, the door opened.
Kai stepped in.
He looked… different. His uniform was neat, his expression calm, but there was something underneath — a rawness behind his eyes, like he hadn't slept.
Their gazes met for a fraction of a second, and in that small moment, Velithra knew.He'd seen something again.Felt something again.
He gave her a faint nod — not a greeting, more like a reassurance. I'm here.
She nodded back. I know.
Neither of them smiled. But something in that silent exchange felt louder than words.
As the class went on, Velithra found herself stealing glances at him — the way his jaw clenched when he thought no one was looking, the faint tremor in his fingers as he turned a page.
It hit her then how much she wanted to understand him — not out of pity, but out of connection.Whatever haunted him, she wanted to face it with him. Even if he didn't ask her to.
When the bell rang, she started to pack her things, but Kai was already standing at her desk."Can we talk later?" he asked, his voice low, cautious.
She nodded, heart skipping. "Yeah. Of course."
He hesitated for a second, his eyes softening. "Thank you."
Then he walked away, leaving her sitting there, hands frozen around her books.
And as she watched him go, Velithra realized — she wasn't afraid of what he might say anymore.She was afraid of what might happen if he didn't.