Unspoken Feelings

Elara lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, Damien's jacket still draped over her shoulders. The warmth of it had faded, but his scent still lingered—a mix of something fresh and subtly masculine. It was unsettling how much it affected her.

She sighed, rolling onto her side and hugging her pillow. Tonight had been… different. She and Damien had hung out plenty of times before, but this time, there had been an underlying current of something more—something unsaid but definitely there.

Was she imagining it?

A soft ping from her phone interrupted her thoughts. She reached for it and saw a message from her best friend, Mira.

Mira: [You back home?]

Elara smiled slightly before typing back.

Elara: [Yeah, just got in.]

Mira: [Sooo? How was it?]

Elara hesitated, biting her lip. She could almost see Mira's excited face through the screen.

Elara: [It was nice.]

Mira: [Just 'nice'? Girl, you spent the entire festival with Damien. I need DETAILS.]

Elara groaned, rolling onto her back. Mira was relentless when it came to these things. She typed a vague response.

Elara: [We walked around, played some games, watched the fireworks.]

Mira: [And???]

Elara: [And what?]

Mira: [Did anything happen??]

Elara hesitated, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Did something happen? Technically, no. But the way Damien had looked at her, the way he had given her his jacket so naturally—those things felt like something.

Elara: [Nothing major. He walked me home, that's all.]

Mira: [Oh, come on. He gave you his jacket, didn't he?]

Elara's eyes widened.

Elara: [How did you know that?!]

Mira: [Because I know things. Also, I may have seen you two from a distance.]

Elara: [Mira!!!]

Mira: [Hey, don't be mad! I wasn't spying! Just happened to see you guys leave together. And let me just say… the chemistry was CHEMISTRY-ING.]

Elara felt her cheeks heat up.

Elara: [You're imagining things.]

Mira: [Am I? Because from where I was standing, Damien was very attentive to you tonight.]

Elara: [He's always like that.]

Mira: [Uh-huh. If you say so.]

Elara sighed, not wanting to argue.

Elara: [I'm going to sleep now.]

Mira: [Sure, sure. But don't act surprised if I'm right. Goodnight, loverbird.]

Elara groaned again, tossing her phone aside. Loverbird? Mira was so dramatic.

She pulled Damien's jacket tighter around her and shut her eyes. But even as she tried to sleep, her mind kept replaying his voice, his expressions, the way he had looked at her under the moonlight.

The next morning, Elara walked into her university lecture hall, her usual seat beside Mira already occupied by her best friend, who gave her a knowing smirk as she sat down.

"So, did you dream about him?" Mira whispered teasingly.

Elara shot her a glare. "No."

Mira leaned in closer. "Liar."

Before Elara could argue, the professor walked in, starting the lecture. But even as she took notes, her mind kept drifting. Did Damien think about last night too?

Meanwhile, across campus, Damien leaned against the library counter, flipping through a book absentmindedly. He wasn't really reading—his mind was too occupied with something else.

Or rather, someone else.

"Elara," he muttered under his breath before snapping the book shut. What was he doing? He had never been the type to dwell on moments, but last night… something about it wouldn't leave his mind.

Was it the way she had smiled under the fireworks? Or the way she had clutched his jacket like it was something precious?

"You seem distracted."

Damien looked up to see his friend, Alec, watching him with an amused expression.

"Not really," Damien replied smoothly.

Alec smirked. "Oh, come on. I saw you with Elara last night. You looked very into it."

Damien rolled his eyes. "It wasn't like that."

"Uh-huh," Alec said, clearly unconvinced. "Well, if you're not interested, you better figure it out soon. Because I have a feeling Elara won't be single for long."

Damien frowned slightly at that. Why did that thought bother him so much?

Later that afternoon, Elara found herself sitting at a café near campus, sipping her iced latte while scrolling through her phone. She was supposed to be studying, but she kept getting distracted.

"Mind if I join you?"

She looked up and saw Damien standing there, his usual confident expression in place, though there was something softer in his gaze.

Elara smiled, motioning for him to sit. "Sure."

He placed his drink on the table and leaned back in his chair, studying her. "You look tired."

Elara chuckled. "Wow, thanks."

He smirked. "Just saying. Late night?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep."

Damien raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind?"

Elara hesitated before shaking her head. "Not really."

"Liar."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why does everyone keep calling me that today?"

Damien chuckled. "Because you're a terrible liar."

Elara sighed. "Fine. Maybe I was just… overthinking some things."

Damien tilted his head. "Like?"

She hesitated before meeting his gaze. "Do you ever feel like something is changing, but you're not sure how to deal with it?"

For a moment, Damien didn't reply. Then, he leaned forward slightly. "Yeah. I do."

Elara's breath caught. There was something in the way he said it—like he knew exactly what she meant.

The air between them shifted again, just like it had last night.

And for the first time, Elara wondered if maybe, just maybe, she wasn't imagining things after all.