Class began, but Velithra could barely focus on the lesson.
Her mind kept drifting—back to the hallway, back to the way Kai had said her name like it mattered, back to the warmth of his hand earlier. Every small memory tugged at her chest in a way she didn't know how to control.
Kai, meanwhile, sat beside her with his usual quiet intensity. He wasn't staring at her nonstop, but he checked on her in tiny ways—letting his eyes flick over whenever she shifted, tapping her desk gently when she zoned out, leaning slightly closer when someone behind them spoke too loudly.
He didn't say much.
But his presence felt like a blanket she didn't realize she needed.
Halfway through the period, the teacher assigned paired work again.
"Same partners as earlier," she said.
Velithra didn't even get the chance to move before Kai slid his desk closer—not loudly, not dramatically. Just enough so their shoulders were almost aligned.
He glanced at her. "Okay?"
Velithra nodded.
They started working through the problems, their pencils scratching against paper, the air between them strangely warm. A few minutes passed quietly before Velithra broke the silence.
"Kai?"
"Yeah?"
"Earlier… when you said you wanted to understand me… why? I mean—why me?"
Kai paused mid-sentence, his pencil hovering over the page.
He turned toward her slowly, thoughtfully.
"Because you're real," he said finally. "Everyone else tries so hard to be something—popular, loud, perfect." His eyes lowered briefly. "You don't pretend. Not with me."
Velithra inhaled sharply. "But I do pretend. A lot."
"Not as much as you think."
He looked at her again—this time, more directly. More intensely.
"And especially not today."
Velithra's cheeks warmed. She wasn't used to someone noticing her so closely.Noticing her right.
She looked down at her notebook, trying to steady her pulse. "It's scary," she admitted. "Letting people see me."
Kai's voice softened at once. "Then let me be the first one you don't have to hide from."
Velithra glanced up, surprised by the sincerity in his eyes. She opened her mouth to speak, but her breath caught when she realized something:
Kai had leaned a little closer while talking—close enough that she could feel the warmth of him. Close enough that she could hear his heartbeat if she focused.
She swallowed hard.
"Kai… you're really close," she whispered.
He blinked, as if only now noticing the space between them.
"Too close?" he asked quietly.
Velithra hesitated—feeling the flutter in her chest, the warmth in her face, the strange comfort in his nearness.
"No," she said softly. "Just… different."
Kai exhaled slowly, his shoulders dipping in relief.
"Different can be good," he murmured. "As long as you feel safe."
Velithra nodded.
"I do."
His expression shifted—gentle yet intense, like he was holding onto her words more tightly than she meant them.
"Good," he said quietly. "That matters more to me than anything."
A sudden knock on the classroom door snapped them both back to the moment, the bubble between them popping.
Kai leaned back slightly, giving her more space—but his eyes never left her.
Velithra looked down at her paper to hide her blush.
But inside?
Something new was blooming—soft, slow, and terrifyingly warm.
Something she wasn't ready to name yet…but wanted to hold onto anyway.