Chapter 5 - Heard
842 Words
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Ariana had never been more conscious of her voice.
She had meant it as a joke, just a little teasing remark to her friends in the cafeteria. But apparently, Eli Turner was in the wrong place at the wrong time—or maybe the right place at the right time, depending on how you saw it.
She had leaned against the table, laughing at Mia’s latest story about cheer practice disasters. “Honestly,” Ariana said, “I’m only doing all this science stuff with Eli for the grade. It’s not like I actually like hanging out with him.”
Her friends snickered, some nudging each other.
And of course, that was when Eli walked past, holding a stack of lab notebooks, probably on his way to the printer. He froze. One glance, and Ariana’s stomach sank. His eyebrows were drawn together, and his eyes… hurt.
She wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.
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By the time she made it to their next lab session, Ariana had run through a dozen excuses in her head. “Hey, just kidding,” she had rehearsed. “I totally respect science!” She didn’t know which one sounded more convincing, or if she even wanted to admit the truth: she did like him.
Eli was already at the lab table, setting up the sensors with his usual meticulous care. He didn’t look at her. He didn’t even say hi.
“Uh… hey,” she said, forcing a smile.
He didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he checked the monitor and started making notes. The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable. Ariana squirmed in her chair, glancing at the heart-rate monitor, as if pretending to focus there might make him forgive her.
“Look,” she said finally, leaning forward, “I—”
He held up a hand. “Don’t. Not yet.”
Ariana blinked. “Not yet?”
“You said what you said,” he replied evenly, not looking up. “I heard it.”
Her stomach sank. “Eli, I—”
“No,” he interrupted, eyes back on the monitor. “Not here. Not in front of the data.”
She swallowed, unsure what to do. His calm, precise demeanor only made her guilt worse. She had been careless, joking about feelings she didn’t want him to hear. And now she had to deal with the consequences.
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They started the experiment, but the energy was different. Ariana found herself overly aware of every movement, every glance. Even the slight brush of her hand against his notebook sent a small jolt up her arm.
Eli, for his part, was focused on the readings, but Ariana could sense his tension. He typed more deliberately, his fingers a little too stiff over the keyboard. Every time she tried to make a joke, he didn’t respond.
By the time they ran the last video clip, Ariana’s pulse wasn’t just reacting to the experiment—it was reacting to the silence between them.
“Your pulse is… elevated,” Eli finally said, voice flat but precise.
“Oh,” she muttered, trying to laugh it off. “Maybe it’s because of the video?”
He didn’t answer.
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After cleaning up, Ariana hesitated before leaving. The moment felt heavier than usual. “Eli,” she said, her voice softer this time. “I didn’t mean what I said yesterday. I… I like working with you. Not just for the grade. I really—”
He stopped her with a raised hand. “I know.”
She blinked. “You… know?”
“Yes,” he said calmly. “I also know you’ve been practicing saying you don’t care about me. And now I know you do. But it’s… complicated.”
“Complicated?” she repeated, bewildered.
He finally looked at her, his expression unreadable. “Yeah. Because I don’t trust that you’re being honest with yourself—or with me.”
Ariana’s throat tightened. “I am being honest,” she whispered.
Eli shook his head slowly. “Not yet. Actions speak louder than words. Prove it.”
Her heart sank again. Actions, huh? she thought. Guess I’ll have to.
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Walking home, Ariana replayed the encounter in her head. She had underestimated Eli, she realized. He wasn’t just a quiet genius—he was observant, intuitive, and somehow… capable of seeing through her. And, as much as she hated to admit it, she liked that.
Her phone buzzed with a text from Mia:
> Mia: Spill. Did he storm off or give you the evil death glare?
Ariana stared at the screen and typed back slowly:
> Ariana: Worse. He knows.
Mia’s response was instant:
> Mia: 😱 No way. Girl. You’re toast.
Ariana smiled faintly. “Maybe,” she murmured. But for the first time, being ‘toast’ didn’t feel entirely bad.
Because even though Eli was upset, even though the tension hung heavy, she couldn’t stop thinking about him. And somehow, that was worse… and better… than she expected.
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