The Roots Beneath

Chapter 18: The Elephant in the Room

The next day at school felt surreal. Seren had barely slept, her mind racing with thoughts about her father's strange behavior and Elijah's sudden disappearance yesterday. But now, as she walked through the hallway, her heart skipped for a different reason entirely—Elijah.

He was back.

Seren spotted him leaning against the lockers near her classroom, his familiar dark eyes scanning the crowd. When their gazes met, a strange, nervous flutter stirred in her stomach. Normally, she would have waved or said something, but today felt different. She couldn't help but feel awkward, the memory of their conversation before he left yesterday hanging in the air between them.

Elijah's expression was hard to read. There was a flicker of something—nervousness, maybe? Or was she imagining it? Either way, neither of them made the first move to speak as she approached.

"Hey," Seren finally managed, her voice softer than she intended.

"Hey," Elijah responded, his tone equally subdued.

They stood there for a moment, an awkward silence stretching between them. Seren shifted her weight from one foot to the other, clutching her books tightly. She opened her mouth to say something else—anything to break the weird tension—but she was saved by an unexpected interruption.

"Well, look who's all shy now!" Emily's voice rang out, cutting through the awkwardness as she approached with a mischievous grin. "You two need a little help?"

Seren blushed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment. "Emily!"

"What?" Emily shrugged innocently. "I'm just saying... you guys still haven't set a time for your date. Are we waiting for another month or what?"

Seren's blush deepened, and she glanced at Elijah, hoping he might jump in to save her from further humiliation. But instead, Elijah seemed just as flustered, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly as his eyes darted away.

Emily raised an eyebrow, her grin widening as she watched them squirm. "Oh my God, you two are hopeless. Come on, just pick a time. I mean, Seren, you've been talking about Elijah forever—"

"I have not!" Seren blurted out, her face burning even hotter.

Elijah finally looked up, his lips quirking into a small, teasing smile. "Forever, huh?"

Seren groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Emily, please."

Emily laughed, clearly enjoying herself. "Fine, fine. I'm just trying to help. But seriously, when is it happening? Let's lock this down."

Seren peeked through her fingers at Elijah, who still wore that amused, slightly smug look. His posture had relaxed a bit now, and his eyes were softer, the nervousness from earlier fading away.

"How about Saturday?" Elijah suggested, his tone casual, though Seren could tell there was a hint of anticipation in his voice.

"Saturday works," Seren said quickly, her pulse quickening. "Yeah, that's good."

"Great!" Emily said, clapping her hands together like she had just sealed the deal. "Now, see? Was that so hard? You're welcome."

Seren glared at her best friend, who only grinned wider, completely unfazed.

With the date now officially set, the awkward tension between Seren and Elijah seemed to ease slightly. They exchanged a shy but relieved glance, the weight of Emily's teasing lifting just enough for them to relax a little.

"Well, I've done my good deed for the day," Emily said with a dramatic sigh, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "I'll leave you two lovebirds to figure out the details. Don't worry, Seren, I'll help you pick out an outfit."