The café was a cozy little corner tucked between a bookstore and a flower shop, all warm lights and the faint hum of acoustic guitar from the speakers. Eli followed Kael inside, the rich scent of roasted coffee beans wrapping around him like a soft blanket.
Riven was already there, sitting in a booth by the window. He looked up when Eli stepped in — not at Kael, not at Lena trailing behind, but directly at him. For a second, Eli's chest tightened.
"You're late," Riven said, though there was the faintest curve to his mouth, almost a smile.
Kael slid in beside Eli, unbothered. "We were picking snacks for later. Priorities."
Lena took the opposite seat next to Riven, flipping open her notebook. "If we're going to get this project done by Monday, we need a plan."
They began dividing tasks. Kael leaned in close to Eli to point at the notes, his shoulder brushing Eli's. It was nothing — just the cramped booth — but the way Riven's eyes sharpened for a heartbeat made Eli glance away.
"You can handle the intro and conclusion," Kael said, his tone warm. "You're good with words."
"Sure," Eli replied softly, though his voice felt distant. Riven hadn't looked away.
It was Lena who shifted the conversation. "By the way, did you guys hear? Mr. Han said the school trip's confirmed."
"School trip?" Eli blinked.
"Three days at Haruna Lakeside Retreat. Hiking, bonfires, star-gazing."
Kael grinned. "Sounds like work… but maybe you'll finally get some fresh air, Eli."
Riven's voice was quiet, but it cut through. "It'll be good." His eyes didn't leave Eli's. "Some things you only see when you're away from everything else."
The words settled strangely in Eli's chest — like a warning wrapped in longing.
By the time they packed up, the sun had dipped below the horizon. Kael and Lena took a different route home, leaving Riven and Eli walking side by side under the streetlights. Their shadows stretched long across the pavement.
"You didn't have to walk me," Eli murmured.
"I wanted to."
When they reached his street, the warm glow of home spilled from the front window. Eli's mom stepped out to collect the laundry from the porch — and froze.
"Oh! You're the boy from the restaurant." Her smile was immediate, friendly. "It's nice to see you again."
Eli glanced between them. "Right… uh, Mom, this is Riven. He's… a friend from school."
Something in Riven's eyes flickered — sharp and fleeting — but he said nothing, just nodded politely.
After goodbyes, Eli slipped inside, leaving Riven on the sidewalk, watching the door close. A friend. That word sat like a pebble in his shoe — small, but impossible to ignore.
He'd need to step up.
Later That Night
The house was quiet, the kind of silence that felt thick. Eli stirred awake, sensing… something. He turned his head toward the window — and froze.
Riven stood outside, leaning lightly against the frame, the moonlight silvering his hair. His expression was unreadable, but his gaze was steady, unblinking, as though he'd been there a long time.
Eli sat up slightly, heart thudding. "What are you—"
"Just making sure you're safe." His voice was low, meant for him alone. "Go back to sleep."
Eli should have asked more, should have questioned why, but instead he moved toward the window, drawn by something he couldn't name.
Riven didn't speak again. He just reached forward, fingers brushing Eli's wrist through the open pane — warm, grounding, possessive. His touch was firm, not tentative, like he was anchoring Eli to the moment.
Then he leaned in.
The kiss came without warning — fierce, deliberate, and quiet. Riven's hand slid behind Eli's neck, pulling him forward with a kind of urgency that made Eli gasp. Their lips met, and the world narrowed to heat and breath and the press of skin.
Riven kissed like he was claiming something — not asking, not waiting. His mouth was warm, demanding, and Eli felt the tremor of restraint beneath it, like Riven was holding back something wild.
Eli's breath hitched, but he didn't pull away. His fingers curled into the windowsill, grounding himself as he kissed back — not out of certainty, but instinct. Like something inside him had always known this moment would come. Like he'd been waiting for it in dreams he couldn't remember.
The kiss deepened, slow and aching, and Eli felt the hum in his chest again — that flicker of awareness, louder now, like something waking up inside him.
Then Riven pulled back, just enough for their foreheads to touch. His breath was uneven, his eyes dark and unreadable.
"You're not just anyone," he whispered. "You never were."
Eli wanted to speak, to ask what that meant — but the words wouldn't come.
The world blurred. The night folded in.
And then—
Eli blinked.
He was in bed.
The window was closed. The moonlight was soft and still.
Had it happened?
His fingers brushed his lips, and his chest ached with something he couldn't name.
Outside, the wind stirred the trees.
And somewhere beneath it, something watched.