Chapter 2

The house had gone quiet.

Lily was curled up on the couch, half-asleep with a blanket tangled around her legs, her phone still glowing faintly.

Elena sat on the floor nearby, flipping through a notebook, pretending to study but mostly just thinking.

The front door creaked open gently.

Dad stepped in, the sound of keys hitting the counter echoing in the stillness. His face looked worn—tie loose, shirt rumpled, shadows under his eyes.

Elena looked up. "Hey."

He smiled tiredly. "Hey, sweetheart. You’re still up?"

"Couldn’t sleep."

He walked over, brushing a hand over Lily’s hair as she stirred slightly but didn’t wake. "She didn’t wait for me, huh?"

Elena shrugged. "We had pizza. And a smoke-filled cookie incident. She forgave me because I paid."

Dad chuckled, then sat down beside her on the floor. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke.

Then, quietly, Elena said, "You’ve been coming home really late, Dad."

He nodded slowly. "I know. I’m sorry."

"You don’t have to keep burning yourself out. Lily misses you. I… miss you."

There was something raw in her voice she hadn’t meant to let out.

Dad stared at the floor, his voice barely above a whisper. "I’m trying to hold everything together. Since your mom left, it’s like I’m juggling a million things, and if I drop one…"

"You won’t," Elena said, her voice steady. "You’ve already held us together this long."

He looked at her then—really looked—and she saw the pain behind his tired smile. "I’m proud of you, Elena. You’ve grown up so fast."

She blinked back the sting in her eyes. "I had to. Someone had to make terrible cookies and order pizza."

Dad laughed softly, and in that sound, the house felt just a little warmer.

"Tomorrow," he said, standing up, "I’m cooking dinner. No work. Just us."

"Even if it’s rice with mystery sauce?" she teased.

He winked. "Especially if it’s rice with mystery sauce."

(At college)

The lecture hall buzzed with quiet conversations and the scrape of chairs. Elena walked in slowly, clutching her notebook tightly to her chest. New campus, new classmates… new everything. She scanned the room for an empty seat, eyes low, trying not to draw attention.

Near the middle row, there was a seat by the window—next to a guy who looked a little more relaxed than everyone else, hoodie slightly wrinkled, pen tapping rhythmically on his notebook.

She hesitated, then made her way over.

“Hi… Is this seat free?” she asked, barely above a whisper.

He looked up, smiled, and shifted his backpack off the chair. “Yeah, go ahead. I’m Damien.”

“Elena,” she replied, sitting down quickly and flipping open her notebook to look busy.

The professor hadn’t arrived yet, so the room still felt casual. Damien leaned over a little. “You new here?”

“Yeah. Just started today,” Elena replied.

He grinned. “First-day chaos. You surviving it okay?”

She let out a small breath—half laugh, half relief. “Trying.”

Damien nodded. “Well, if you need someone to get lost with between buildings, I’ve only memorized like… one hallway.”

That actually made her laugh—softly, but real. “Thanks. I might take you up on that.”

As the professor entered and the room quieted, Damien slid a sheet of paper across to her.

“If I fall asleep, nudge me.” he’d scribbled.

They shared a smile, and for the first time that week, class didn’t feel so heavy.

.

.

.

Elena stepped into the campus lounge with her usual quiet presence. She wasn’t looking to make friends or draw attention—just a quiet table and a hot drink.

She grabbed a coffee from the machine, made her way to a table by the window, and pulled out her notebook. Half her mind was on an upcoming quiz, the other half drifting toward everything waiting for her at home.

“Hey.”

She looked up.

It was Damien, holding a cup of tea and a half-closed book, a grin tugging at his face. “Didn’t think I’d see you again outside the war zone."

Elena raised an eyebrow, amused. “Surprised you recognized me without the boredom-induced coma look.”

“Oh, I still have that. It’s permanent now,” he said, sliding into the chair across from her without hesitation. “Mind if I sit?”

“Go ahead.”

"So, you survived the lecture.” Elena asked him.

“Barely was hoping to find somewhere quiet, and then I found you."

They sat in a companionable silence for a moment, each with their drinks, her notebook open, his book forgotten.

“You always sit here?” he asked, half-teasing.

“It’s quiet,” she said simply.

“I can be quiet. Or at least mostly quiet.”

“Then you can stay,” she said with a small smile.

He lifted his cup like a toast. “To mostly quiet.”

She clinked her cup against his, and they locked eyes for a moment. Something unspoken passed between them two strangers just starting to become a little less alone.

Thank you ^_^

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