Nothing perfect stays untouched. One afternoon, Elias overheard two boys from school near the café laughing loudly.
"You see Eli and that Malik guy? They're not even hiding it."
"But it's just a summer thing. Malik will bounce. They always do it."
Elias walked past quickly, pretending not to hear. But it echoed inside him.
That night, he sat on the dock alone, sketching furiously. Malik found him there.
"You, okay?"
Elias looked up. "Yeah. Just... people talk."
Malik sat beside him. "Let them. We know what this is."
"But what is it, Malik? What happens when summer ends?
Malik took his hand. "We don't have to know everything. We just have to know how we feel right now."
Elias nodded. But a seed of doubt had been planted.