Elara's Pov
The school parking lot stretched empty under the midday sun, a ghost town of absent cars confirming our tardiness. Kael killed the engine with a final rumble, his fingers lingering on mine a beat too long before he pulled away. 'Every step,' he'd promised, and that vow hummed in my veins like a shared heartbeat as we stepped out. No grand gestures—just a quiet walk side by side toward the echoing halls, his presence a steady warmth against the chill of gossip I didn't yet foresee.
First period droned on without me, the hallways hushed save for distant murmurs. I veered to my locker, twisting the combination with shaky hands, books tumbling into my bag like forgotten anchors. Kael's scent—wild pine and salt—trailed faintly behind as he headed to his own space, our paths diverg
