Eli hadn't meant for it to happen, but somehow, he and Kai kept ending up together. At first, it was small things—Kai walking out of the classroom at the same time, Kai stopping by the same hallway. But as the days rolled on, it became something Eli almost expected, though he never admitted it out loud.
Sometimes it was as simple as Kai waiting by the library doors after class, leaning casually against the frame until Eli noticed him. Other times, it was the walk to the station in the evening. Their footsteps filled the quiet, the rhythm of their shoes on the pavement matching in a way that felt unspoken, like they had been walking together much longer than just a few weeks.
Around their group of friends, nothing seemed different. They still laughed at inside jokes, borrowed pens from each other, and teased Eli whenever he made a face at cafeteria food. But even in the noise of their circle, Eli noticed things no one else seemed to.
If he reached for a drink, Kai would wordlessly slide one over before he even asked. If someone made a joke and the group burst into overlapping chatter, Eli realized that Kai's gaze always lingered on him, steady and focused, as if he were listening only to Eli's laughter in the chaos.
It wasn't obvious. Maybe the others didn't catch it at all. But Eli did. And once he noticed, he couldn't stop.
It was in those in-between moments—when the noise of friends faded, when the walk home stretched long and quiet—that Eli found his thoughts drifting. He wasn't used to silence with someone else. Usually, silence was awkward, something to fill with words. But with Kai, it felt different. Almost comfortable. Almost… too comfortable.
One evening, they were walking side by side, the air cool and the faint smell of roasted chestnuts from a street cart lingering. Eli shoved his hands into his pockets and, before he realized it, words slipped out.
"Hey, do you ever feel like…" He trailed off, nerves catching in his throat. His chest tightened, and he laughed lightly, shaking his head. "Never mind."
Kai tilted his head, his steps slowing just a fraction. His eyes, calm as always, rested on Eli with patience. "Like what?"
Eli shrugged, looking away. "Nothing important."
Kai didn't push. He never did. Instead, he gave one of those quiet, almost secretive smiles—the kind that seemed to hold more than it showed. "Okay," he said softly. "But if it ever feels important, I'll listen."
Eli's chest gave a strange pull at the words. Simple, casual, but heavier than they should have been.
That night, the dream returned.
The courtyard glowed under lantern light, their flames swaying in the breeze. Petals scattered across the stone floor, carrying whispers of something unspoken. The man was there again—him, but not him. The same steady gaze, the same quiet smile. They walked side by side, hands brushing, the silence thick with something Eli couldn't name.
And then, the man spoke. The same warmth, the same voice. *I'll listen.*
Eli's eyes flew open. His chest ached as he clutched the blanket tight around him. His breath came fast, uneven.
"It's still just coincidence," he whispered into the dark, trying to steady himself.
But even as he said it, a question burned at the back of his mind, one he couldn't shake:
Is it really just coincidence… or something more?
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