The group filed out of the restaurant, the cool night air a welcome relief from the warmth inside. Elena sat quietly in her wheelchair as Bryon rolled her out, his usual energy still bubbling over from dinner. But despite the good food and conversation, something wasn't sitting right with her. Giovanni hadn't been himself, and even though they weren't together, not officially at least, there was always something between them. She could feel it. Everyone could.
But tonight, that unspoken connection felt more fragile than usual.
Bryon pushed her wheelchair with a steady hand, but Elena's thoughts kept drifting back to Giovanni, who was lingering behind with Jakari. She didn't want to be paranoid, but it was hard not to notice how close Jakari stood to him, how easily she slipped into conversation with him. Giovanni was polite, but his responses seemed distant, like he wasn't sure where to place his frustration.
"You sure you're good?" Bryon asked, glancing down at her with a grin, unaware of the storm brewing in her thoughts.
Elena forced a smile. "Yeah, just thinking."
"About Gio?" Bryon teased lightly. "I'm telling you, he's just being weird 'cause you're hanging out with me more."
Elena shook her head, though she couldn't deny there was truth to what Bryon said. She could see it in Giovanni's eyes-—the flickers of something close to jealousy-even though neither of them had ever defined what they were. They weren't dating, but there was something there. There always had been.
Everyone in their group seemed to know it, even if no one ever talked about it.
Why he was the one.
The one to carry her since her leg is broken. The one to walk her to class, take her to her locker, go to her at lunch. The one who always made sure she was alright.
As they waited outside the restaurant for Niro to pick her up, Elena's friends drifted over. Fiona, always perceptive, was the first to join her, kneeling beside her chair with a concerned look.
"You okay?" Fiona asked quietly. "You've been kind of out of it since we left."
Elena hesitated before responding, glancing over at Giovanni, who was now standing by Jakari, his hands in his pockets. They were talking, but his smile looked forced.
"Yeah... I don't know," Elena admitted. "He's acting strange."
"You think it's because of Bryon?" Fiona asked knowingly. Her voice was calm, but there was a knowing spark in her eyes.
Kenya and Kennedy joined them, their faces showing that they'd noticed the shift too. Kenya, always direct, cut straight to the point.
"Gio's just jealous," she said, shaking her head. "It's so obvious. He doesn't like seeing you and Bryon getting all close again—well, not that he even knew it was an 'again' in the first place."
Kennedy, more reserved, added softly, "But... you and Giovanni aren't together, right?"
Elena sighed, not really sure how to explain it.
Fiona raised an eyebrow, giving Elena a small smile. "Everyone can see there's something between you two, Elena. It's not just in your head."
Elena bit her lip, her gaze flicking back to Giovanni, who was still standing too close to Jakari for her comfort. He wasn't flirting exactly, but the distance between them wasn't helping. Jakari's presence always seemed to throw off the balance of their group, and tonight was no different.
"It's not like I'm dating Bryon," Elena said, mostly to herself, though her friends heard it too.
Kenya snorted, her gaze sliding toward Giovanni and Jakari. "Yeah, but Gio's not seeing it that way. He's probably freaking out because he doesn't know what to do about you two. You should talk to him."
Before Elena could respond, Kailin approached, his eyes gleaming with his usual smirk. "What's going on over here?" he asked, his tone playful but with a sharp edge. "Having a little drama now that your almost-boyfriend is cozying up with Jakari?"
Elena's patience was running thin. She shot Kailin a look, but before she could say anything, Derek stepped in, his arm lightly bumping Kailin's shoulder.
"Come on, Kailin, don't be a jerk," Derek said, his tone friendly but firm. "Not everyone's trying to stir things up like you."
Kailin shrugged but backed off, still watching the scene unfold with an amused glint in his eyes.
Derek turned to Elena, offering her a more supportive smile. "Gio's just... trying to figure things out. You guys haven't exactly made it easy for each other, you know?"
Elena nodded slowly, knowing Derek was right. She and Giovanni had danced around each other for so long that neither of them knew where they stood. And now, with Bryon back in the picture, everything felt more complicated.
Bryon, sensing the shift in mood, piped up from behind her. "Come on, Elena, let's roll," he said, steering her toward the curb where Niro was supposed to pick her up. "We'll leave the drama behind."
Elena smiled at Bryon's attempt to lighten the mood. As they waited, Bryon filled the silence with stories from their childhood, moments she had forgotten but now remembered clearly. She relaxed a little, letting herself enjoy the nostalgia, though her thoughts kept drifting back to Giovanni.
"I really missed this," Elena said softly after Bryon finished telling a story about the time they got lost in the woods behind their old elementary school. "I didn't realize how much until now."
Bryon grinned, his easygoing nature bringing a sense of calm to the moment. "Yeah, it's been a while. I'm glad we're getting the chance to catch up."
Just then, Niro's car pulled up to the curb, the headlights bright against the dark street. As Bryon helped her into the car, Elena caught one last glimpse of Giovanni with Jakari. His face was tight with frustration, though he kept his distance from Elena now. Jakari leaned in, whispering something to him, and Giovanni laughed—again, it didn't reach his eyes.
"See you around, Elena," Bryon said as he waved goodbye. "Tell Niro I said hey!"
Elena waved back, her thoughts still on Giovanni as the car drove off. Fiona's words echoed in her mind: Everyone can see there's something between you two.
But now, as she watched Giovanni from the rearview mirror, standing with Jakari, Elena couldn't help but wonder if that unspoken connection they had was starting to fray. Neither of them had ever said what they were, and now it felt like the silence between them was growing too loud to ignore.
