Campus felt calm that week, but everyone was talking about the upcoming party near the upper dorms. Lily's boyfriend and his friends were hosting it, and somehow half the school decided they were going.
Lily had been glowing nonstop.
Ever since she made things official with him, she moved differently — smiling more, getting ready faster, drifting toward him without even noticing. I was happy for her, even if she was a little less present with me.
That was how I ended up attending the party.
Behind the dorms, the setup was beautiful: a huge campfire at the center, speakers on the side, people everywhere — dancing, laughing, sitting in wide circles, recording videos with their flashlights on like they were documenting history.
I tried to relax, but something in me felt disconnected.
That's when I noticed Rav.
He gave me a small nod from across a group. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just a quiet "I see you." He didn't approach immediately, but I kept catching him checking on me from a distance.
Then I saw Kade.
He was sitting by the fire with his friends, leaning back, laughing like nothing in the world was wrong. We hadn't talked much that day — barely anything, actually — and seeing him there so relaxed made something twist inside me.
We made eye contact once.
Just once.
Then he looked away.
I stayed with Lily for a while, but the noise and the crowd felt heavier by the minute. I needed to get away for a moment.
So I walked toward the open field beside the dorms, where the noise faded and the stars looked bigger. I took a long breath, trying to calm the thoughts running through my mind.
"You look like your mind is far away."
I turned to the voice.
Denzel.
Up close, he had that same calm aura he always carried from afar. I'd seen him around campus, always composed, always quiet. Somehow, standing next to him made the night feel less loud.
"I just needed air," I said.
He nodded like he understood perfectly. "I'm Denzel."
"I'm Maya," I said.
He repeated it gently —
"Maya."
Like he was making sure he said it right, like he wanted to remember it exactly.
He had headphones around his neck. He lifted one side slightly.
"Do you mind listening?" he asked. "It helps me think."
I hesitated — not because of Denzel, but because of Kade. He was somewhere back there in the crowd, and even though I wasn't doing anything wrong, the thought of him misunderstanding made my chest tighten.
But Denzel wasn't forcing anything.
He wasn't making the moment heavy.
He was just offering quiet.
So I nodded.
He handed me one side.
Soft instrumental music played — calm and steady.
We didn't speak for a while.
We didn't need to.
I stared up at the stars, letting the music settle my mind, and Denzel stood beside me without crowding my space. It felt… peaceful.
Behind us, the fire crackled louder as someone threw in more wood. Lily's laughter floated across the field. Rav's voice blended into the music. And Kade—
I didn't know where he was anymore.
But for a moment, everything felt still.
After a minute, I handed the earbud back to Denzel.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
He nodded once. "Anytime you need quiet, just walk out here. Most people forget this spot exists."
There was something steady about him — not intense, not intimidating. Just steady.
I gave a small smile, he promised to text and I looked back at the party lights flickering in the distance. The fire glowed against silhouettes, the music growing louder again as more people joined the dance circle.
"I should probably go back," I said.
"Yeah," he replied. "But take your time."
He didn't walk with me — he let me go alone, which somehow made me respect him even more.
As I got closer to the campfire again, Lily spotted me immediately.
"Maya! Where did you disappear to?" she asked, hurrying over with that excited, half-distracted smile she always had around her boyfriend.
"I just needed air," I said, keeping it simple.
Before she could respond, Rav came up beside her.
"You good?" he asked quietly.
I nodded. "Yeah. I'm fine."
He didn't look convinced, but he didn't push.
Then —
my eyes accidentally drifted toward Kade.
He was still with his friends, but this time he wasn't laughing. He was watching me. His expression was unreadable, but the sight of him staring tightened something in my chest.
I wasn't doing anything wrong.
But I still felt that fear — the fear of being misunderstood, the fear of an argument I wasn't ready for.
I looked away before he could hold my gaze too long.
The night kept moving around me, but my thoughts stayed loud.
And even though I was back at the fire, part of me was still out under the stars.