Elian and Kai sat in silence under the awning, the rain continuing to fall in steady sheets around them. The comfortable quiet they shared felt fragile, like a bubble that could pop with one wrong word.
Kai broke the silence first. “You know, you don’t always have to be so strong.”
Elian frowned. “What do you mean?”
Kai shifted, turning to face Elian more directly. “You don’t have to hold everything together all the time. It’s okay to let someone in.”
Elian felt a lump form in his throat. How did Kai always manage to see right through him? It was unsettling, but also... comforting. “I’m just not used to it.”
Kai gave him a small smile. “I know. But I’m here. You don’t have to figure everything out alone.”
Elian didn’t say anything, but inside, he felt something loosen. For the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to believe that maybe—just maybe—it was okay to let someone in.
YOU ARE READING
Beneath the Same Sky
RomanceElian has always been the kind of person who plays by the rules, keeping his emotions in check and his life carefully organized. But when he starts developing feelings for his best friend, Kai-a confident, easygoing photographer-his world gets turne...
