RUMORS IN THE HALLWAY

The week after the spring festival felt different.

The roses were still in the garden.

The messages were still hanging on the wooden board.

The memories of the festival were still fresh in everyone’s minds.

But something else had changed.

People had started noticing Kai and Eli.

Before the festival, they were just two students working on a project.

Now, they were the pair everyone seemed to talk about.

“Kai.”

Kai looked up from his notebook.

A student from the next desk leaned closer.

“You and Eli are really close, huh?”

Kai blinked.

“We’re friends.”

The student smiled.

“I know. I’m just saying… you two are always together.”

Kai looked toward Eli’s desk.

Eli was talking with another classmate, laughing about something.

Kai looked away quickly.

“We just work on the project together.”

The student nodded.

“Sure.”

But the way they said it made Kai uncomfortable.

The problem with rumors was that they rarely started as something big.

They started as small comments.

Small questions.

Small observations.

Then, slowly, they grew.

By lunchtime, Kai began hearing things.

“Did you see how Eli looked at Kai during the festival?”

“They spend every afternoon together.”

“I heard Eli chose Kai as his partner before anyone else.”

“They’re probably more than friends.”

Kai kept walking.

He pretended he didn’t hear.

But every word stayed in his mind.

He found himself thinking about everything.

The way Eli always waited for him.

The way Eli noticed when something was wrong.

The way Eli smiled at him differently.

Was everyone else seeing something he wasn’t?

That afternoon, Kai went to the garden alone.

He sat beside the roses and looked at the messages students had written.

A few weeks ago, this place had been where he felt comfortable.

Now, for the first time, it felt like everyone was watching.

“You disappeared.”

Kai looked up.

Eli stood there.

Kai quickly looked away.

“I’m here.”

Eli sat beside him.

“You usually tell me when you’re going somewhere.”

Kai was quiet.

Eli noticed.

Again.

“You’re avoiding me.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

Kai sighed.

“People are talking.”

Eli’s expression changed.

“About what?”

Kai hesitated.

Then:

“About us.”

The garden became silent.

The wind moved through the roses.

Eli looked at him carefully.

“And?”

Kai looked down.

“I don’t want people misunderstanding.”

Eli was quiet for a moment.

Then he asked softly:

“What do you think they’re misunderstanding?”

Kai froze.

He didn’t know how to answer.

Because he had never asked himself that question.

“They think we’re…”

Kai stopped.

Eli waited.

But Kai couldn’t finish.

Eli looked away.

For the first time, Kai saw something different on his face.

Not anger.

Not sadness.

Something closer to disappointment.

“I thought you were different.”

Kai looked at him.

“What?”

“I thought you didn’t care what other people thought.”

Kai’s chest tightened.

“I don’t.”

“Then why are you letting them change things?”

Kai had no answer.

Because the truth was complicated.

He wasn’t afraid of the rumors.

He was afraid of losing Eli.

“I just don’t want things to become difficult.”

Eli nodded slowly.

“I understand.”

But his voice sounded different.

The next day, something felt wrong.

Not because Eli was angry.

He wasn’t.

That would have been easier.

Instead, Eli became polite.

Too polite.

“Can I borrow your notes?”

“Sure.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

Normal words.

But they felt empty.

Kai missed the old conversations.

The jokes.

The teasing.

The way Eli would bother him until he smiled.

During class, Kai kept looking at Eli.

But Eli was focused on his work.

For the first time since they met…

Kai felt like he was the one being ignored.

After school, Kai walked toward the garden.

He expected Eli not to come.

But he did.

“We need to talk.”

Eli looked at him.

“Okay.”

Kai took a deep breath.

“I’m sorry.”

Eli said nothing.

“I shouldn’t have let rumors affect me.”

The words were difficult.

Kai wasn’t used to admitting when he was wrong.

“I was scared.”

Eli looked surprised.

“Scared of what?”

Kai looked at the roses.

“Of losing you.”

The silence that followed felt different.

Not uncomfortable.

Just honest.

Eli looked down.

“I was scared too.”

Kai looked at him.

“You were?”

Eli nodded.

“I thought maybe you didn’t want to be close to me anymore.”

Kai shook his head.

“No.”

His voice was quiet.

“I don’t want that.”

A small smile appeared on Eli’s face.

“You know…”

“What?”

“You’re really bad at expressing your feelings.”

Kai sighed.

“I know.”

“But you’re getting better.”

Kai smiled slightly.

“Are we okay?”

Eli looked at him.

“Yes.”

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then Eli pointed at the roses.

“Look.”

Kai turned.

A new rose had bloomed.

A small white rose among the others.

“It wasn’t there yesterday,” Eli said.

Kai smiled.

“Maybe it was waiting for the right time.”

Eli looked at him.

“Like people?”

Kai looked back.

“Maybe.”

That night, their messages returned.

[Chatroom]

Eli:Friends again?

Kai:We were never not friends.

Eli:That’s not what I asked.

Kai:Yes.

Eli:Good.

Kai:Why?

Eli:Because my day feels incomplete without annoying you.

Kai:You’re impossible.

Eli:And you missed me.

Kai:…

Eli:Kai?

Kai:Maybe.

Kai smiled at his phone.

The rumors did not disappear.

People still talked.

But something important had changed.

Kai finally understood something.

A flower did not stop growing because someone disliked its color.

And people should not hide who they were because others failed to understand them.

The roses continued to bloom.

And so did something else.

Something neither Kai nor Eli was ready to name.

To be continued…

🌹❤️

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