Velithra reached her house faster than she expected.
Her feet moved automatically, her mind replaying the walk home — Kai's voice, the brush of his hand against hers, the way he looked at her like she mattered in a way she wasn't prepared for.
She closed her door behind her and leaned against it, exhaling slowly.
Her house was quiet.Too quiet.But for once, the silence didn't swallow her whole.
She took out her phone.
Kai had said:"Text me when you get home. So I know you're safe."
She hesitated.
She'd never had someone she could text like that.Someone who actually wanted to hear from her.Someone who cared enough to ask.
Her fingers shook as she typed.
Velithra:I'm home.
She stared at the message, ready to delete it and rewrite it a thousand times.
Then three dots appeared.
Kai was replying.Immediately.
Her breath caught.
Kai:Good.
Another message came right after.
Kai:…I was waiting.
Velithra felt warmth bloom in her chest so suddenly it made her press a hand over her heart instinctively.
She sat on her bed, staring at the screen, unsure what to say. Every message she typed felt too much or too little.
Finally she settled on—
Velithra:Thank you… for walking with me.
The reply came faster than she expected.
Kai:You don't have to thank me for that.
Another message appeared, slower. Like he was thinking.
Kai:I like walking with you.
Velithra looked away from the phone, face burning. Her stomach fluttered, her throat tight with a strange mixture of fear and something dangerously close to happiness.
She typed:
Velithra:I like it too.
The typing bubble appeared again, then disappeared, then reappeared — like Kai kept starting messages and deleting them.
Finally he sent one.
Kai:Velithra…
She froze.
Then another message came in.
Kai:Today. When our hands touched.I wanted to……hold on.
Velithra's heart thudded so hard she could hear it in her ears.
She set the phone down for a second, covering her face with both hands. Nobody had ever said anything like that to her. Nobody had ever admitted something so real and vulnerable.
Her hands trembled as she picked up the phone again.
She typed slowly, carefully.
Velithra:I didn't pull away.
A long pause.
Then—
Kai:I know.That's why it scared me.
Velithra stared at the words, confused.
Velithra:Why scared you?
Another long pause.
Kai:Because I don't trust myself around you sometimes.Not in a bad way.Just… I feel things faster than I should.
Velithra felt her breath catch.
Her fingers moved before she could overthink.
Velithra:I feel things too.
And then — the bubble appeared.
It stayed there for a long time.
Too long.
Her chest tightened.
Did she say too much?Did she scare him instead?
The bubble vanished completely.
Velithra's heart dropped.
Before she could spiral further, a new notification buzzed.
A voice message.
Kai had sent a voice message.
Her hand hovered over the play button for several seconds before she finally pressed it.
Kai's voice came through — low, steady, a little strained.
"…Velithra."A breath."I'm trying not to fall too fast."Another breath, softer, almost shaky."…but you're making that really hard."
The message ended.
Velithra covered her mouth, stunned, her pulse racing so wildly it almost hurt.
Kai…liked her.
Enough to admit it out loud.Enough to sound like it scared him.Enough that he sent a voice message to say it.
Her whole body felt warm — fragile, dizzy, alive.
She texted back only three words, but they were honest.
Velithra:Kai… me too.
She didn't expect him to reply again.
But he did.
One final message.
Kai:Good.Then let's… take this slow.But not distant.I don't want distance.
Velithra lay back on her bed, heart racing, staring at the screen.
Slow.But close.
The space between them had changed again — pulled tighter, warmer, undeniable.
And neither of them seemed ready to let go.