The cool night wrapped around Elena like a thin blanket, doing little to soothe the tight ache in her chest. The laughter spilling from the house behind her felt distant, almost unreal — as if she'd stepped outside of the world for a moment, into a quiet space that wasn't supposed to exist during a celebration.
She leaned against the railing of the small porch, staring at the dark sky above the garden lights. Her eyes burned, not from tears, but from holding too many feelings in the same place.
Inside, another round of applause erupted.
Probably someone making a toast.
Probably Leela still glued to Adrian's side.
Elena exhaled slowly, forcing herself not to care. But caring wasn't something she could switch off.
Footsteps creaked softly behind her.
She didn't turn around. She didn't need to.
"Why are you out here?"
Adrian's voice cut through the quiet — low, controlled, but carrying an edge that made her shoulders tense.
She kept her gaze on the sky.
"Just needed air."
He stepped next to her, leaving a careful gap between them. Still too close. Still not close enough.
"It's cold," he said.
"I'm fine."
Silence stretched between them, loud and thick. The kind that held more meaning than the words they refused to speak.
From inside, Leela's laughter floated out again — bright, confident, familiar in the worst way.
Elena swallowed hard. "Shouldn't you be in there with her? You two seem… comfortable."
Adrian's jaw worked, barely noticeable in the dim light. "Is that why you walked out?"
"I didn't walk out," she said quickly, too quickly. "I just—wanted some quiet. That's all."
He shifted slightly, turning his face toward her.
"Elena."
She hated how her name sounded when he said it — like a truth she wasn't ready to face.
"You think I care about that?" he asked quietly.
"You looked like you did."
He didn't respond at first. The night hummed softly around them, a breeze rustling through the leaves.
Then—
"If I cared, it wasn't for the reason you think."
Her breath hitched, subtle but impossible to hide.
She turned to him, searching his eyes for any hint of what he meant.
He didn't look away.
"I didn't like how she pulled you into it," he said.
Elena blinked. "Pulled me?"
He hesitated — Adrian rarely hesitated.
"She made you uncomfortable," he said finally. "I could see it."
That stunned her into silence.
She'd been so focused on him and Leela… she hadn't even realized he'd been watching her too.
But before she could respond, Maya's voice cut through the door behind them.
"Elena? Adrian? We need you guys for group photos!"
Adrian's gaze lingered on Elena for a moment longer — locked, intense, unreadable — before he stepped back.
"Come on," he said softly. "They're waiting."
He turned toward the door.
Elena stayed still for half a heartbeat, steadying herself.
As she followed him inside, her heart ached for reasons she couldn't explain — or maybe reasons she didn't want to understand yet.
But one thing was painfully clear:
Whatever was happening between them…
it wasn't simple.
And it wasn't going away.