Eli thought avoiding Kai would be easy. If he kept his answers short, if he busied himself with other friends, if he never allowed their eyes to linger too long-then maybe his heart wouldn't pound, maybe that name would fade.
But reality wasn't that simple.
By the third day, Kai's patience was clearly wearing thin. He wasn't loud about it-he never was-but Eli could feel the weight of his gaze in every class, sharp and searching. He could sense the questions Kai wanted to ask but didn't, hanging in the air between them.
It was during group work that things cracked.
They had been paired together with Mina and Jace, tasked to prepare a short skit for literature. Mina handled the script, Jace joked his way through rehearsal, but Kai... Kai kept glancing at Eli.
And Eli, despite trying to keep his cool, snapped.
"Stop looking at me like that," he muttered under his breath, loud enough for only Kai to hear.
Kai blinked, taken aback. "Like what?"
"Like-like I've done something wrong," Eli hissed, his grip on the book tightening.
Kai's brows drew together. "I didn't say you did."
"Then quit staring!" The words slipped out sharper than Eli intended, earning a curious glance from Mina. Eli quickly forced a laugh, pretending it was nothing, and buried himself in the script.
But Kai didn't push. He only went quiet, his expression unreadable.
Later, when they were alone , Mina tugged Eli aside. "Okay, spill. What's going on with you and Kai? You've been weird all week."
Eli's throat tightened. He wanted to say nothing. He wanted to lie again. But Mina's eyes pinned him, and she wasn't the type to let things go.
"...He said something when he was sick," Eli finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Mina tilted her head. "Like what?"
"A name." Eli's fists clenched at his sides. "Elija."
The name alone sent another sting through him.
Mina frowned. "Elija? Who's that supposed to be?"
"I don't know," Eli said quickly, almost defensively. "But... the way he said it... it didn't sound random. It sounded like-" He cut himself off, shaking his head.
"Like what?" Mina pressed.
Eli's chest ached. "...Like it mattered to him. A lot."
Mina was quiet for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she sighed. "You know, you could just ask him. Instead of tearing yourself up like this."
Eli's laugh was bitter. "And what if I don't like the answer?"
Mina's gaze softened, but she didn't reply.
That night, lying in bed again, Eli stared at the ceiling. The name echoed in his chest, mixed with the dream that haunted him. The man who looked like Kai, the way his voice had cracked, the pleading in his eyes.
Elija...
Eli pressed his hands over his face, frustrated.
He didn't know what scared him more-finding out who Elija really was, or realizing that what he fears is true.