I turned off my phone and let the silence settle around me, my mind drifting without direction until it inevitably circled back to Elliot. The images from the short clips I had watched earlier faded, their exaggerated displays and forced expressions lacking something essential. Even with all the enhancements and effort, they didn't carry the same presence. Elliot, by comparison, stood far beyond them.
Why am I thinking about him again?
I closed my eyes, trying to push the thought away, but it lingered stubbornly at the edge of my awareness. Our connection was complicated—unclear, undefined. We had crossed boundaries that normally marked deeper bonds, yet our relationship remained suspended in ambiguity, neither distant nor truly close. Everything he said, everything he did, and the way he remained physically near to me felt unreal at times, as though it existed outside the usual structure of pack relationships.
