It started with a simple question.
"What are you doing after graduation?"
They were sitting on the steps outside school when one of Kai's teammates asked it casually, tossing a bottle cap into the grass.
Kai shrugged. "Not sure yet."
But Velithra noticed the pause before he answered.
Later, when it was just the two of them walking home, she brought it up.
"You've thought about it," she said.
Kai gave a small, almost embarrassed smile. "Yeah."
"And?"
He hesitated. "There's a training program in another city. Coach mentioned it. It's not confirmed or anything. Just… an option."
Velithra felt the word another city land quietly in her chest.
"Oh."
"It's competitive," he added quickly. "And far. I don't even know if I'd get in."
"But you want to try," she said.
Kai looked at her.
"Yeah," he admitted.
There it was.
Not dramatic. Not immediate.
Just possibility.
They kept walking, the air cooler than usual.
"You should," Velithra said after a moment.
Kai stopped.
"You're not upset?"
She met his eyes honestly. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel it. But I don't want you choosing smaller just because of me."
His expression shifted—something grateful, something conflicted.
"I don't want to lose what we have," he said quietly.
Velithra stepped closer.
"You won't," she replied. "Not if we don't let it slip."
"That's not simple," he said.
"No," she agreed. "But neither are we."
Silence settled between them—not tense, just thoughtful.
Kai ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to make it real."
"It was already real," she said gently. "You just said it out loud."
He studied her for a second.
"You're stronger than I thought," he murmured.
Velithra shook her head slightly. "I'm just choosing not to hold you back."
He stepped forward and pulled her into him, tighter than usual this time.
"You don't hold me back," he said into her hair. "You're the reason I feel like I can even try."
Her heart steadied at that.
This wasn't a breakup conversation.
It wasn't a threat.
It was a glimpse of the future.
And futures were uncertain by nature.
When they pulled apart, Kai rested his forehead against hers.
"I haven't decided anything," he said.
"I know," she replied.
"But if I do try," he added softly, "I want you in that future too."
Velithra didn't answer with promises.
She answered with truth.
"Then we'll figure it out."
No guarantees.
No dramatic vows.
Just commitment to try.
And somehow, that felt even stronger than certainty.