Episode 3 — Stay Close

The rest of lunch break became a complete disaster.

Not because I fainted.

Not because my tray shattered across the cafeteria floor.

But because Kael still hadn’t let go of my wrist.

And apparently the entire school had eyes.

The whispers followed us everywhere.

Even after we left the cafeteria.

“That’s the transfer student…”

“Why is he holding Eli’s hand?”

“They seriously look like a couple.”

I wanted to jump out of a window.

Meanwhile Kael walked beside me calmly like none of this was strange.

Which honestly made it worse.

The moment we stepped into the hallway, the noise inside my head became unbearable again.

Students crowded the corridors loudly while thoughts slammed into me from every direction.

I forgot my assignment.

That test was horrible.

Kael looks terrifying.

Wait… are they dating?

I pressed my free hand against my temple painfully.

My headache returned instantly.

Kael noticed.

Of course he noticed.

Without saying anything, he tightened his grip around my wrist slightly.

Silence spread through my head again.

Warm and immediate.

I nearly sighed from relief.

That was becoming a problem.

A very serious problem.

Because my body was already getting used to him.

To the silence around him.

To the strange comfort only he could give me.

And I didn’t know how to feel about that.

Mina suddenly appeared beside us while staring at our joined hands dramatically.

“You know,” she said slowly, “this looks extremely suspicious.”

Oh my god they actually look good together.

“I can literally hear your judgment.”

She gasped loudly. “You did NOT just say that out loud.”

Crap.

Right.

I still hadn’t figured out how to stop accidentally replying to people’s thoughts.

Kael glanced at me carefully.

“…What did she mean by that?”

My soul left my body immediately.

“Nothing.”

Mina crossed her arms. “Eli’s been acting weird since his accident.”

Please don’t think he’s crazy.

“I’m not crazy!”

Now several students nearby were openly staring again.

Wonderful.

My reputation was dying faster every minute.

Kael stayed quiet for a moment.

I couldn’t hear his thoughts clearly.

Only faint static brushed against my mind occasionally.

Like distant radio signals.

Fragments instead of words.

And somehow…

that silence felt more comforting than actual conversation.

The bell rang loudly across the hallway.

Students immediately started rushing toward their classrooms.

The sudden flood of thoughts hit me again.

Move.

I’m late.

I need sleep.

Too loud.

My breathing became uneven.

I instinctively grabbed Kael’s sleeve before he could walk away.

The second I realized what I’d done, I froze.

Kael stopped moving.

Slowly, he looked down at my hand clutching his uniform.

Heat rushed to my face immediately.

“I—I just…”

What was I even supposed to say?

Please don’t leave because your existence is the only thing stopping me from losing my mind?

Yeah. Absolutely not.

But Kael kept staring at me quietly.

Waiting.

The hallway suddenly felt strangely small.

“…Don’t go,” I whispered before my brain could stop me.

Silence.

Not the peaceful silence surrounding Kael.

Real silence.

Even Mina looked shocked.

My own heartbeat sounded painfully loud in my ears.

Kael’s expression changed slightly.

For one second, the coldness around him cracked.

Like those words affected him more than they should have.

Then—

for the first time—

I heard his voice clearly inside my head.

…he asked me to stay.

The whisper sounded soft.

Almost disbelieving.

And underneath it—

something warm.

Something dangerously gentle.

Kael stepped closer slowly.

Too close.

My heart immediately started malfunctioning.

“You only look calm near me,” he said quietly.

I swallowed hard.

Because he was right.

And somehow…

that terrified me more than the voices ever had.

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