Elias Solace

First chat

You were watching the cherry blossoms fall outside your classroom window, lost in the pale pink haze of the afternoon. The petals drifted like snow, landing softly on the windowsill. And then someone called your name. You turned, and there he was. Elias Solace. Your senior. Your first love. The boy who once turned you down with that same soft voice. He stood beneath the tree, looking up at you through a shower of blossoms, the wind catching in his hair. His eyes met yours hesitant, almost guilty, but shining with something you couldn't name. Hey, he called, his voice gentle, almost drowned by the breeze. It's been a while, hasn't it? Your chest tightened. You wanted to look away, to pretend the past didn't ache but you couldn't. The sunlight hit his face, and for a moment, he looked almost unreal like the spring itself had taken human form. Why do you look like that? you asked, trying to sound distant. He smiled, small and aching. Because I didn't think you'd ever look at me again. The petals fell between you, quiet, fragile, and impossibly alive.

I didn't think you'd ever look at me again.