Ch. 7: Late-Night Bullshit

It was just past 11 p.m. when Kael sat up in bed, groaning softly as he rubbed his eyes. He couldn't sleep.

Too much noise in his head.

Not literal noise—just the kind that loops thoughts until they feel like they're clawing at your brain. School crap. Rumors. Riven. Everything.

The top bunk creaked.

Kael blinked. "You awake?"

Riven didn't answer, but a moment later, his feet hit the floor with a soft thud.

So yeah—awake.

"I hate this time of night," Kael muttered, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "Brain turns into a full-on talk show."

Riven sat on the floor, back against the wall, long legs stretched out. "What's it saying?"

"That I'm a dumbass for transferring schools, that I don't belong here, that maybe I should've stayed with my aunt instead of crashing your life."

Riven let out a snort. "I already thought you were a dumbass. Nothing new."

Kael rolled his eyes. "Thanks, dick."

"You asked."

They sat in silence for a beat.

Kael rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you ever… feel like everything you do is just some kind of mistake waiting to happen?"

Riven glanced over. "That's basically how I operate."

Kael gave a short laugh. "At least you own it."

"Not like I have a choice."

Another pause. The only sound was the soft ticking of the cheap wall clock.

Kael leaned back on his hands. "Do you ever wonder what people would think if they actually knew the real you?"

"I don't care what people think."

"Bullshit."

Riven looked at him, brows raised.

Kael shrugged. "Everyone cares. Even if it's just a little. You say you don't, but you do. Otherwise you wouldn't be so damn guarded all the time."

Riven didn't answer right away.

Then: "You think you've got me all figured out, huh?"

"Nope," Kael said, shaking his head. "But I'm starting to see through the cracks. You're not as cold as you pretend to be."

Riven scoffed. "And you're not as carefree as you pretend to be."

Kael raised an eyebrow. "Touché."

Riven leaned his head back against the wall. "Why'd you really leave your aunt's place?"

Kael went quiet.

He thought about lying. He was good at it. Had to be. But something in Riven's voice made him hesitate.

"She got remarried," Kael said finally. "Her new husband didn't exactly vibe with me."

Riven frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kael picked at a loose thread on his pajama pants. "Let's just say… he had opinions. About guys like me. I tried to ignore it, but it got to the point where I couldn't breathe in that house."

There was a moment of silence.

"What a prick," Riven said, his voice low.

Kael laughed bitterly. "Yeah. Fuck him."

"I'm glad you left."

Kael blinked. "Really?"

"Yeah. Otherwise we wouldn't be having this dumbass 2 a.m. heart-to-heart."

Kael grinned. "Wow. That almost sounded like a compliment."

"Don't get cocky."

"Too late."

They both chuckled.

"Do you—" Kael started, then hesitated. "Do you think we're... friends?"

Riven turned to look at him, eyes unreadable.

"Depends."

"On?"

"If you're gonna keep waking me up to talk about your feelings every damn night."

Kael threw a pillow at him. "Asshole."

Riven caught it mid-air and smirked. "But yeah. I guess... we're something close to that."

Kael laid back down, his chest a little lighter than before.

"Thanks," he mumbled into the dark.

Riven didn't respond, but the silence between them felt different now. Warmer. Safer.

Like maybe, just maybe, they weren't as alone in this world as they thought.