The next morning, Elias found himself waiting for Lila outside the school gates. It wasn’t something he usually did—she often arrived a little later than he did, and they typically just met in class. But after last night’s conversation, there was something about her words that stayed with him.

  “You really are hopeless, huh?”

  That phrase replayed in his mind, over and over, as if there was something deeper to it. Something he wasn’t grasping.

  When Lila finally arrived, she spotted him immediately. She blinked in surprise before quickening her pace.

  “Elias? What are you doing out here?”

  “I am waiting for you,” he stated.

  Lila slowed her steps, a flicker of something crossing her face. “Oh.”

  He watched as her ears turned red. Interesting.

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  She cleared her throat, suddenly very focused on adjusting the strap of her school bag. “Well, uh… okay then. Let’s go?”

  He nodded and matched her pace as they walked through the courtyard together.

  Lila seemed oddly quiet, sneaking glances at him every now and then. Finally, she let out an exaggerated sigh.

  “Okay, seriously. Why were you waiting for me?”

  “Because we usually do not arrive together,” he said simply. “I wanted to see if it would change anything.”

  She gave him a flat look. “Change anything?”

  “Yes.”

  Lila groaned. “Elias, I swear, sometimes I think you just say things to mess with me.”

  “That is incorrect. I say things because they are true.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, running a hand through her hair. “So? What’s your conclusion? Did anything change?”

  He considered the question. “Yes.”

  Lila blinked. “Wait, really?”

  “Yes. You arrived in a different mood than usual.”

  She frowned. “Different how?”

  “You were surprised to see me,” he explained. “Your expression changed, your heartbeat increased slightly, and you fidgeted with your bag strap.”

  Lila immediately stopped walking. “I did not!”

  “You did,” he confirmed.

  Her face turned bright red. “Elias. Stop analyzing me like some science experiment!”

  “But that is how I understand things,” he replied.

  Lila groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “This is why people find you both infuriating and—” She abruptly shut her mouth.

  Elias tilted his head. “And?”

  “Nothing!” she snapped, turning on her heel and storming toward the classroom.

  He followed after her, watching as she huffed under her breath.

  This was the third time in two days that she had reacted like this.

  Lila was experiencing something—something specific to him.

  And if there was one thing Elias knew for certain… it was that he would figure it out.