The morning felt wrong from the moment Elias woke.
The sky was overcast, clouds stretching thick and heavy across the horizon like they were holding something back. Even the ocean looked darker, restless, its waves crashing with more force than usual.
Elias felt it in his chest before Malik ever said a word.
They walked together toward the cliffs, but Malik was quieter than normal. His smile came slower, his eyes often drifting toward the sea instead of Elias. The space between them felt unfamiliar—wider somehow, even though their hands still brushed now and then.
"You okay?" Elias asked gently.
Malik hesitated. "Yeah. Just… thinking."
Elias knew that pause. He used it himself—when words felt dangerous, when truth might crack something open.
They sat on the cliffs, legs dangling over the edge, wind tugging at their clothes. Below them, the waves churned and collided, loud and relentless.
"You ever feel like," Malik began, voice low, "if people really see you, they'll decide you're too much—or not enough—and leave?"
Elias swallowed. "All the time."
Malik finally looked at him. "That's what scares me about this. About us."
Elias' heart tightened. "Because you don't feel it?"
"No," Malik said quickly. "Because I do."
The confession landed hard.
"I've been hurt before," Malik continued. "I open myself up, and people disappear. I don't want to do that to you."
Elias reached for his hand, fingers threading through Malik's without hesitation. "You won't hurt me by being honest."
Malik's thumb brushed over Elias' knuckles—slow, grounding. "You say that now."
"I mean it," Elias said, voice firm despite the ache in his chest. "I'd rather risk this than wonder forever."
Malik studied him, something raw flickering in his eyes. He didn't pull away. Didn't move closer either.
But he stayed.
And for now, that was enough.