Chapter 3: saturday night (Elias)
The crowd had thinned slightly as the party stretched into the night, but the energy in the room remained high. Rick and Ana had found a quiet spot by the backyard door, the noise of the party fading as they leaned closer to hear each other. For Rick, the chaos around them had melted away, leaving just the two of them in a world of quiet, shared words and gentle glances.
"I'm kind of a homebody," Ana admitted with a laugh. "I don't think I've been to a party like this in… well, maybe ever."
Rick nodded, his smile reassuring. "Same here. It's usually not my thing either. But… I'm glad I came."
Ana's eyes softened as she looked at him. "Me too."
They fell into a comfortable silence, each lost in their thoughts for a moment, then Ana gestured toward the backyard. "Want to step outside? It's a little… overwhelming in here."
Rick couldn't have agreed more. They slipped through the door and onto the deck, the cool air a welcome change from the warmth inside. Overhead, the stars were scattered across the sky, their light faint but steady. Rick leaned against the railing, glancing over at Ana, feeling something between them settle—a quiet understanding, maybe, or just a sense of ease he wasn't used to feeling in situations like this.
They stood there, sharing glances and snippets of conversation, each moment building into a subtle pull between them. Finally, Ana looked up, her gaze lingering on his as if weighing something in her mind.
"Do you ever think about how big the world is?" she asked softly. "All the places we haven't seen, all the things we haven't done yet…"
Rick felt the weight of her words, sensing the deeper meaning. He didn't need to think about his answer; it came naturally. "Yeah," he said, his voice equally soft. "Sometimes I think that's what scares me—and what excites me too."
Ana turned to him, her eyes steady and warm. There was a silence, and then, without thinking, Rick leaned in just slightly, giving her the chance to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn't. Instead, she closed the distance, their lips meeting in a gentle, unhurried kiss. It was simple and sincere, like everything he'd come to appreciate about her.
When they pulled apart, there was a mutual smile—a quiet understanding that didn't need words. They returned to their spot on the edge of the deck, shoulders brushing, content just to be together in this still, shared moment.
Meanwhile, inside, Elias was in his element—or so he thought. He moved through the room, laughing with friends, half-listening to stories as his gaze occasionally drifted back to where he'd last seen Liza. She was standing near the kitchen, talking to a friend, looking a bit lost in the party scene herself. Elias felt a pull toward her that he couldn't quite explain. Normally, he thrived on the energy of loud parties and quick conversations, but Liza's quiet, understated presence stirred something different.
Finally, he found himself drifting toward her, his usual confidence softening into something more curious. When she looked up and saw him approaching, she smiled—a shy, almost hesitant smile that made him pause.
"Hey, Liza, right?" he asked, keeping his tone light, playful.
She nodded, her smile growing just a little. "Yeah. And you're… Elias."
"That's me." He grinned, leaning casually against the counter, noticing how she didn't rush to fill the silence. "So… what do you think of this whole thing? Pretty loud, huh?"
Liza laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah, a little. Not exactly my scene. But my friends dragged me here, so…" She shrugged, her expression softening as she glanced around. "I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself."
Elias found himself smiling, intrigued by her honesty. Normally, he'd crack a joke or steer the conversation toward something more lighthearted, but her openness made him linger. "Yeah, same here. It's a lot sometimes. Want to… I don't know, go find a quieter corner? I think I saw a stack of old board games in the other room. We could see if any of them still have all the pieces."
Liza looked surprised but amused. "You want to play board games?"
"Why not?" He shrugged, laughing. "It's probably more my speed than the dance floor, to be honest."
They wandered into the next room, the sounds of the party fading slightly as they settled down by a dusty stack of board games that looked like they hadn't been touched in years. After a bit of digging, they found a nearly complete game of Scrabble and set it up on the floor, laughing as they sorted through the mismatched letter tiles.
As they played, Elias found himself drawn to the little things—her laugh, the way she'd brush her hair back, the way she looked down and then back up at him with shy glances that made him linger. They were close now, sitting side by side, and with each laugh and shared look, the space between them seemed to shrink.
At one point, their hands brushed, lingering a moment longer than necessary. Elias looked at her, realizing just how close they'd become, noticing the way her gaze softened as it met his.
Without fully realizing what he was doing, Elias leaned in, his breath catching just slightly. Liza hesitated, her eyes searching his, and then she closed the distance, their lips meeting in a tender, tentative kiss. It was different from what he was used to—gentle and steady, a kind of connection that didn't need any more than it was.
When they pulled back, there was a quiet understanding in her gaze, an unspoken promise of something worth exploring. They sat there, close and connected, the sounds of the party fading further into the background, content just to be together in this small, unexpected moment.