It was the little things Eli began to notice.
When he forgot his pencil in class, Kai wordlessly slid one across the desk. When group work got overwhelming, Kai offered to help—even though no one asked him to. And once, when Eli stayed late to finish an assignment, he found Kai waiting by the gate with his umbrella, as though he had known Eli would still be there.
After lunch, Eli's friends were the first to tease again.
"Eli, did you see? Kai saved you a seat during lunch. You two are really close, huh?" Mina teased, grinning.
Eli shrugged, his tone casual. "We're friends now."
The table went quiet for a beat before his friends—Mina, Jace, Caleb, and Leo—burst out at once.
"What?! With Kai? Already?!" Jace gasped dramatically.
"He doesn't even look like the type to talk to anyone—he's so unapproachable!" Caleb added, wide-eyed.
"Seriously, Eli," Leo said, leaning forward. "You just met him, and he's already hanging around you like you've been friends forever."
Eli blinked at their reactions, tilting his head. "...Is it really that surprising?"
His calmness only made them stare harder, as if he had just broken some unspoken rule of the universe.
---
One afternoon in the library, Eli grew frustrated over a tricky math problem. He sighed, tapping the eraser against the page.
"Stuck?" Kai's voice was quiet beside him.
Eli blinked. "You're good at this stuff?"
Kai leaned over, his hand brushing lightly against the page as he pointed out the mistake. Their shoulders nearly touched, and Eli's heart skipped as he tried to focus on the numbers.
When the problem was solved, Eli muttered, "Thanks."
Kai gave the smallest smile. "You're welcome."
It was nothing big. Just small acts—like how a normal friend would do.
But the truth was, he couldn't ignore it, even if he wanted to. More than he wanted to admit.
---
Eli still had his circle of friends—Mina with her loud laughter, Jace who always cracked jokes, Caleb the level-headed one, and Leo who never missed a chance to tease him. They shared lunch, partnered for projects, and filled his days with the easy comfort of routine.
Kai, on the other hand, carried a quiet aura, but soon he too began drawing people in. Some admired his calm presence, others his quiet intelligence.
Still, Eli couldn't help but notice… whenever Kai wasn't with them, he was with him.
---
"Hey, Eli," Leo teased one afternoon, catching sight of Kai waiting near the garden gate. "You and the new guy seem close, huh? You two always end up together."
Eli flushed. "It's not like that. We just… run into each other a lot."
Mina raised an eyebrow knowingly, but said nothing.
But the words tasted weak, even to him.
---
Later that day, Eli sat under the shade of the garden bench, sketchbook in hand. He expected quiet, but soon heard the familiar footsteps.
Kai.
Without a word, Kai sat nearby, opening the book he carried. The silence stretched—comfortable, as always.
After a while, Eli closed his sketchbook and turned to him. "Kai… are we friends?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Kai blinked, as if surprised, then smiled faintly. "Don't you think we are?"
Eli's chest tightened. He looked away quickly, hiding the small smile tugging at his lips.
Maybe… maybe they were.
---
And though neither of them said more, the simple word—friends—hung between them like a promise.