The sun had already started to sink when the final bell rang, spilling gold across the courtyard.
Velithra packed her bag slowly, waiting for the usual rush of students to clear before leaving. She didn't expect him to wait — Kai wasn't the type to linger.
But when she stepped outside, he was there.Leaning against the railing, hands in his pockets, that calm, unreadable look on his face.
"You walk this way, right?" he asked casually, pushing off the railing when she met his eyes.
Velithra hesitated. "You… remembered?"
Kai gave a small, half-smile. "I pay attention."
She didn't know what to say to that, so she just nodded, and they fell into step beside each other.
The air between them was quiet, but not uncomfortable — more like a space they both understood how to exist in. The sounds of the city faded behind them; the only thing that seemed real was the rhythm of their footsteps and the occasional brush of their shoulders when the sidewalk narrowed.
After a while, Kai broke the silence. "You always walk alone?"
"Most of the time," Velithra said. "It's… easier that way."
He looked over at her. "Easier doesn't always mean better."
She smiled faintly. "You sound like you've rehearsed that."
"Maybe," he said, smirking. "Or maybe I've been there."
Velithra glanced up at him, curiosity flickering behind her eyes. "Been where?"
Kai shoved his hands deeper into his pockets. "Nowhere important."
They walked a few more steps before Velithra murmured, "You're a terrible liar."
That earned her a quiet laugh — the kind that felt real.She didn't hear him laugh often.
When they reached the corner where their paths usually split, Kai stopped."Hey," he said softly, as if the word itself might break something fragile between them.
Velithra turned, waiting.
"Tomorrow's the start of the long weekend," he said. "You wanna… hang out or something?"
Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "Hang out?"
Kai looked away, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah, like—get food, maybe walk around. Not a big deal."
Velithra bit back a small smile. "That sounds suspiciously like a date."
He shot her a sideways look. "Only if you want it to be."
Her chest tightened, that mix of nervousness and warmth twisting together."Okay," she said quietly. "Tomorrow."
Kai's mouth twitched, almost a smile, before he nodded and turned away.
As she watched him go, Velithra couldn't stop thinking about how strange it felt — the way something so simple could make the world feel so new again.