The Roots Beneath

Chapter 9: The Space Between

A few weeks had passed since that unexpected weekend with Elijah, and though Seren's life still felt the same in most ways, there was an undeniable shift in the air. At school, she and Elijah had been spending more time together, their paths crossing more frequently between classes, during lunch, or on their way home. But it wasn't like they were suddenly best friends. It was more subtle than that, like the slow unfolding of something just beginning.

Seren tapped her pen against her notebook, trying to focus on the lesson, but her mind kept wandering. She glanced over at Elijah, who sat a few seats away in the back of the classroom. He was staring out the window, lost in thought, his dark hair falling into his eyes. She smiled to herself. He always looked so serious when he wasn't paying attention. Sometimes she wondered what was going on inside his head.

Emily nudged her from the next desk over, whispering, "You're staring again."

Seren blinked, quickly turning back to her notebook. "I was not."

"Sure, sure," Emily teased, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. "It's okay, though. I get it. He's a bit of a mystery. And let's be honest, he's kind of cute."

Seren rolled her eyes but felt her cheeks warm slightly. Emily had been giving her a hard time ever since that Saturday with Elijah, even though Seren had insisted it wasn't a big deal. And in some ways, it wasn't. They hadn't exactly become inseparable, but there was this unspoken connection, a comfort in their growing friendship.

"I still don't get why he doesn't hang out with anyone else," Emily continued, doodling absentmindedly on her paper. "He's always either with you or completely by himself."

Seren shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe he's just one of those people who likes his space."

"Maybe," Emily mused, glancing over at him. "Or maybe he's hiding something."

Seren let out a soft laugh. "You and your conspiracy theories."

"I'm just saying," Emily grinned. "Mysterious new guy shows up halfway through the school year, barely talks to anyone but you, and no one knows anything about his past? It's suspicious."

Seren shot her a look. "You've been watching too many crime shows."

"Can you blame me? Pine Hollow is so boring. We need some excitement."

Before Seren could respond, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. She hurriedly gathered her things, but not before sneaking another glance at Elijah. He was already standing, slinging his bag over his shoulder. As he walked past her desk, their eyes met for a brief second. He gave her a small nod, and for reasons she couldn't quite explain, it made her heart skip.

"See you at lunch?" Elijah asked casually.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Seren replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Emily raised an eyebrow, watching him walk out of the room. "Uh-huh. Totally not a big deal, right?"

"Shut up," Seren said, laughing under her breath as they made their way out of the classroom.

The halls were buzzing with the usual chaos of students rushing to their next class. Seren and Emily weaved through the crowd, heading to their lockers. As they walked, Emily kept up a steady stream of chatter about plans for the weekend, but Seren's mind kept drifting back to Elijah.

They hadn't talked about anything deep or personal in the last few weeks, but their interactions were easy, natural. He wasn't as guarded around her anymore, and she found herself drawn to the way he seemed to balance his quiet intensity with moments of dry humor. It was like there were layers to him, ones he hadn't let anyone else see.

At lunch, Seren made her way to their usual table outside, where Elijah was already sitting, flipping through a book. He looked up as she approached, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hey," Seren replied, sitting down across from him. "What are you reading?"

Elijah glanced at the cover. "Nothing too exciting. Just some stuff for class."

She raised an eyebrow, leaning in to peek at the title. "Philosophy? I didn't know you were into that."

He shrugged, closing the book. "It's interesting. Makes you think about things differently."

Seren smiled, pulling out her lunch. "Of course you'd be into the heavy stuff."

Elijah chuckled softly, the sound warming the cool fall air. "Guilty."

They fell into an easy conversation, the usual rhythm they had found over the last few weeks. It wasn't forced, and Seren found that she liked how they could talk without it feeling like they had to fill every silence with something important. Sometimes they didn't need to say much at all.

Halfway through their lunch, Elijah surprised her by tossing a crumpled napkin at her.

"Hey!" Seren laughed, flicking it back at him.

"You seemed like you needed a distraction," Elijah said, his voice laced with amusement.

She grinned, tossing it again. "And you're supposed to be that distraction?"

"Apparently." He caught it midair and smirked. "Not doing a bad job, right?"

Seren shook her head, laughing. It was moments like this—where his usual calm exterior cracked, and his playful side peeked through—that she found herself even more intrigued by him. It was like he was letting her in, little by little, and she was eager to see what else was behind the mystery.

The bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch. As they packed up their things, Elijah glanced over at her.

"Hey," he said, his voice a little softer now. "You wanna do something after school? I know Emily's busy with that project."

Seren hesitated, surprised by the offer. They hadn't hung out one-on-one outside of school much, but something in the way he asked made it hard to say no.

"Sure," she said, feeling a flutter of excitement. "What did you have in mind?"

Elijah's smile was small but genuine. "I've got an idea. I'll let it be a surprise."

Seren couldn't help but smile back. "Alright, I'm in."

As they walked back to class, the space between them seemed to shrink just a little more, the unspoken connection growing stronger with every passing day. They still weren't exactly close, but they were something. And for now, Seren was content with that.