When Eyes Lied

The prom hall shimmered like a dream spun out of satin and fairy lights. Laughter danced between the twinkling chandeliers, and music curled softly through the velvet air. Sparkling gowns spun in rhythmic grace, suits shimmered in dim golden lights, and for most of the students, it was a night to remember.

But not for Elira.

Elira stood at the edge of the hall beside Josh, her posture poised, her dress radiant, but her heart elsewhere. Her fingers fidgeted around the hem of her dress, trying to distract her from the hollow ache forming in her chest. It was supposed to be Darian standing next to her, wasn't it? Not Josh. Not anyone else.

She glanced at Josh and smiled faintly, trying to piece together a grateful look. Josh, dressed immaculately in a black suit with a tie the color of midnight blue, looked like he had walked out of a storybook. His eyes glimmered with sincerity and quiet pride—he had Elira by his side tonight.

But Elira’s eyes kept sweeping the crowd unconsciously, searching for one face, one boy who had left her hollow and confused in the last few days. Darian.

Two days of silence had stretched like years. Not once in the last six years had they gone more than a day without talking. He had always been there—his silent companionship, his unspoken loyalty, the warmth that wrapped around her like a secret no one else knew. But now, it felt like something had snapped loose, and she couldn’t find her way back to it.

"Hey," Josh said softly, his voice cutting through her spiraling thoughts. "Will you dance with me?"

Elira turned, blinking. For a moment, the world around her blurred and faded, and she saw Darian in front of her instead. Asking her. Like he used to in those old skits, in those unspoken moments under the rain during school plays. Her heart squeezed painfully.

She nodded gently. “Sure.”

Josh smiled. But in that smile was a sadness only he knew—because even in that moment, even when she took his hand and walked with him toward the dance floor, he could feel that he wasn’t the one her heart was whispering to.

The music shifted into a slow, tender rhythm. They began to dance. Elira moved gracefully, her smile soft and eyes glassy with unshed tears. Her steps were perfect. Too perfect. Almost mechanical. But it was enough to draw eyes across the floor. People murmured in awe—how beautiful they looked together.

But inside Elira, every beat of the music was another beat of longing.

She closed her eyes briefly as Josh spun her gently and placed a hand on the small of her back. She imagined, just for a second, that it was Darian’s hand instead. That his soft murmur was guiding her, not Josh’s quiet flattery. That she was in the arms of the boy who had always seen her, even when the world didn’t.

Tears welled at the corners of her eyes.

But little did she know—behind the heavy velvet curtains of the stage—Darian stood watching. Still. Silent. Breaking.

He had come.

He hadn’t planned to. He had told her he wouldn’t. He had told himself it was better that way. But he had come anyway, just to see her. Just to look at her one last time.

And now, there she was, glowing under the lights, held by someone else.

Darian clenched his fists and blinked away the sting behind his eyes.

“She’s beautiful tonight,” a soft voice whispered beside him.

Startled, Darian turned. It was Elina.

She stood in a blue gown that shimmered like the ocean under moonlight, her hair cascading down her shoulders, a soft smile playing on her lips.

“Elina…”

“I didn’t think you’d come,” she said, tilting her head slightly. “But I’m glad you did.”

He nodded awkwardly, unsure of how to respond. Elina’s presence always made him a bit nervous. She was kind, quiet, gentle—much like him. But not Elira. Never Elira.

“Would you… like to dance?” Elina asked, her voice trembling slightly, as if she already knew the answer but asked anyway.

Darian hesitated.

He looked back at Elira, whose smile had faltered slightly as she looked down during her dance. And somehow, in his confusion, in his longing, he nodded to Elina.

They stepped onto the dance floor. Elina’s hand was soft in his, her movements delicate and careful.

Across the room, Elira’s eyes widened.

She saw them—Darian and Elina. Dancing.

It was like the ground beneath her cracked open.

Her breath caught in her throat, and suddenly the room felt too bright, too loud, too full of eyes and silence all at once. She couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think.

It was too much.

Without a word, she broke away from Josh mid-step and ran.

“Elira—!” Josh called after her, his voice rising in shock and worry.

She didn’t stop.

She ran through the glimmering hallway, the laughter and music fading behind her, until she found the cold stone bench outside the building. The stars above blurred as tears spilled over her cheeks.

She curled into herself, gasping for breath between sobs.

He had said he wasn’t coming. He hadn’t told her he would dance—with Elina, of all people. And here she was, thinking he still thought of her. Still cared.

Was it all in her head?

Had she been the only one holding on to something long gone?

“Elira! Elira, wait!” Josh's voice echoed down the corridor. He found her moments later, sitting there like a shattered porcelain doll, trembling.

He rushed to her side and wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. What happened? Was it… him?”

She couldn’t answer. She simply nodded as her tears soaked his shirt.

Josh clenched his jaw, but instead of questions or complaints, he just pulled her closer.

“You don’t have to pretend,” he whispered, gently pecking her hair. “You love him, don’t you?”

She sobbed harder.

“I… I do. I have always loved him. From the beginning. From the first moment we shared that stupid drama act in tenth grade. I never said it. He never said it either. But I felt it, Josh. I felt it like air and silence and gravity.”

“Then why didn’t he say anything?”

“I don’t know!” she cried, clutching her chest. “I thought he would. I waited. I waited for so long…”

Behind them, just around the stone column, stood Darian.

He had run after her when he saw her break down. But what he saw shattered him to pieces.

Elira, in Josh’s arms.

Elira, crying into Josh’s chest.

Josh, holding her like she belonged there.

And then… the kiss. Or at least what it looked like.

Josh’s lips pressing gently on her hair in comfort.

But Darian didn’t wait long enough to hear the rest.

He didn’t wait to see her push Josh away, didn’t hear her whisper that she would rather die than love anyone but Darian.

He just turned around.