He mumbled a tentative "thanks," the words sticking to his dry lips like glue. Liana nodded once, her expression unreadable, before continuing her stare down with Eren. The bully, now thoroughly cowed, muttered something under his breath and slithered away like a beaten dog. The air around them seemed to crackle with tension, the rain droplets bouncing off the pavement in a staccato rhythm that matched Alastair's racing heart.
As the silence stretched out, Alastair felt something strange bubbling up within him. It wasn't happiness, not quite, but it was close. It was the feeling of being seen, of not being invisible anymore. He'd spent so long trying to blend into the background, to be the shadow that no one noticed, that he hadn't realized how much it hurt to be so thoroughly ignored. Except by Eren and his ilk, who only noticed him to remind him of his failures.
The rain had stopped, leaving behind a fresh, clean scent that seemed to wash away some of the ugliness of the night. Liana was still standing there, her eyes now on Alastair, and he found himself unable to look away. It was like staring into the sun, too bright and beautiful to ignore, even though he knew it could burn him. He took a deep breath, the cool air filling his lungs and clearing his foggy mind.
"You don't have to thank me," she said, her voice softer now. "No one deserves to be talked to like that."
Alastair's cheeks flushed a shade of pink that matched the dawn peeking over the horizon. He had felt a strange flutter in his chest when she had looked at him, but he quickly dismissed it. It couldn't be a crush. It couldn't be. Liana Castellanos, the smartest, bravest person his ever met, would never look at someone like him that way. Right?
But as she spoke, her voice gentle yet firm, the thought grew in his mind like a wildflower in an unexpected place. Her eyes, usually hidden behind a curtain of hair and lost in a book, had been focused solely on him, filled with a fiery protectiveness. He had never felt so... seen before. It was both exhilarating and terrifying.
"Come on," she said again, her hand reaching out to him. "We're going to be late."
Alastair stared at her outstretched hand, his heart racing like a wild horse in an open field. Was this a trick? Did she really want to walk with him? He'd spent so long as the outcast, the one everyone pitied but no one befriended.
With a deep breath, he took the leap of faith and placed his hand in hers. It was small but firm, the warmth of her palm sending a jolt through him. They began to walk together, the sound of their shoes on the wet pavement creating a rhythm that seemed to sync with their heartbeats.
As they approached the school, Liana spoke again, "You know, you don't have to put up with that."
Alastair's stutter caught him off guard, the words stumbling over themselves like a toddler taking their first steps. "B-b-but, h-he's...he's right," he managed to say, his eyes cast down at the puddles reflecting the early light.
Liana's grip tightened, and she stopped in her tracks, forcing Alastair to look at her. "Eran doesn't define you, and neither does your father," she said with a fierce conviction that made him want to believe her. "You're more than just your grades or what people say about you."
Alastair felt the heat rise in his cheeks, the warmth of her hand in his sending his thoughts into a whirlwind. A crush? On Liana Castellanos? The very idea was absurd, wasn't it? But as he searched her eyes, he found something that resonated within him. Something that whispered of understanding and empathy. Something that made his heart flutter like a bird's wings.