At lunchtime, Elara's feet moved before she even made the decision.
She walked up the stairs, the air feeling heavier with each step.
The rooftop.
Jian sat alone, his lunch in front of him, eating slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. The sky stretched wide above them, but the space between them felt too small.
She sat beside him.
Staring.
Jian turned his head, smiling as if nothing was wrong. As if she hadn't woken up in class after drinking something from his hands.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Elara opened her mouth, And a voice that wasn't quite hers answered.
"Yes, I'm."
It came out too smooth, too casual.
Like someone else had spoken for her.
She blinked, her own words sounding foreign.
Jian watched her carefully. The same unreadable gaze, the same faint smile that barely touched his lips.
Her hands curled into fists on her lap.
She wanted to say something else. To demand answers.
But instead..
She just kept staring at him.
Like she was trying to remember who she was.
Jian suddenly turned his gaze toward her, his usual soft smile fading away.
The silence between them stretched.
Elara's fingers trembled slightly as she clenched her hands into fists.
The rooftop felt too quiet, too still.
She swallowed, her throat dry.
"Jian, who am I?"
He didn't answer.
His expression didn't change, but something in his eyes darkened.
She took a breath, steadying herself.
"Why were you there?"
Her voice was firmer this time.
"What's your relation to them?"
The moment the words left her lips, something flashed in her mind.
A shadowy, half-formed memory.
The dim library lights.
The feeling of something cold against her lips.
A voice_whispering
"I'm sorry."
Her breath hitched.
Her fingers brushed against her mouth as a bitter, lingering taste coated her tongue.
Dark purple. A liquid. A forced swallow.
She froze.
Her mind felt like it was slipping. something just beyond her reach.
Her gaze snapped back to Jian, her pupils dilating.
"Did they…"
She stopped, the words catching in her throat.
Her thoughts were blurring, fading, unraveling.
She struggled to grasp onto something—anything.
But all she could feel was that strange, bitter taste.
And Jian—
Still staring.
Still silent.
Jian stared at her, his expression unreadable.
Then, in a voice too calm, too measured, he asked,
"What do you mean by they?"
Elara's breath caught.
Her eyes locked onto his, searching—desperate—for something. An answer, a crack in his expression, anything that would make sense of what she was feeling.
But his face remained still. Controlled. Waiting.
Her fingers tightened around the fabric of her skirt.
Her lips parted, but all she could manage was a whisper.
"I… I don't know."
She looked down, her own voice sounding far away. Like she wasn't the one speaking.
Something inside her ached.
Something inside her screamed that she should remember.
But the more she tried to grasp it, the more it slipped through her fingers.
She could still taste it—the bitter, dark-purple liquid.
And Jian…
Jian was still watching.
Jian's expression softened, and for a brief moment, Elara saw something entirely different in his eyes—a flicker of relief, a glimmer of something almost human.
He gave her a small, reassuring smile, but there was something unsettling about it, as if it didn't quite match the situation.
Then, without saying a word, he raised his finger to his lips, a silent gesture that sent a chill down her spine. His eyes met hers with an intensity that made her heart skip a beat.
"Don't say anything,"
his gaze seemed to plead. "Keep it quiet."
She didn't need words.
She knew what he meant.
The connection between them—the way they had always communicated without speaking—was still there. The unspoken language of their silent understanding.
She felt it. She understood it. And yet, at that moment, it felt more like a warning than a comfort.
Elara stood still for a long moment, her chest tight, as she absorbed the weight of what had just happened.
Then, slowly, she turned away.
Her steps were hesitant, but her feet carried her forward.
Away from him.
Away from the confusion.
She couldn't stay any longer. She couldn't stay in this place with him and with the lies that clung to the air like a thick fog.
She left him behind.
The rooftop felt colder now.
And as she walked away, Elara couldn't shake the feeling that something, someone, was watching her—waiting for her to make the next move.
To be continue....