Sea drove home in silence.
The usual hum of the engine, the faint sound of passing cars none of it registered. His grip on the steering wheel was tight, his mind stuck on one thing.
Wind.
Wind, standing by his door, looking at him with those sharp, uncertain eyes.
Wind, asking What if I also felt something that day?
Wind, who had been in his head for longer than Sea wanted to admit.
Sea exhaled sharply as he pulled into his driveway. He turned off the car but didn't move. Just sat there, hands still on the wheel, staring at nothing.
His chest felt heavy.
How had it come to this?
He ran a hand down his face, closing his eyes. The memories came fast, hitting him harder than he expected.
Sea remembered the first time he noticed Wind. Really noticed him.
It was years ago, back in high school. They weren't friends not even close but somehow, Wind always stood out.
Maybe it was the way he walked into a room like he owned it. The way his laughter carried through the hallways. The way he was so effortlessly talented at everything he did.
Sea hated that.
Or at least, he told himself he did.
He didn't know when admiration turned into something more. Maybe it was the way Wind always challenged him, always met his energy with the same fire. Or the way, for some reason, Wind's voice was the only one that could really get under his skin.
Sea used to catch himself watching Wind when he wasn't paying attention, lingering on the curve of his smile, the way his eyes lit up when he talked about something he loved.
It was stupid.
It was dangerous.
So he did the only thing that made sense.
He buried it.
He turned every awkward moment, every stolen glance, into competition. Into rivalry. It was easier to throw insults than admit what he was actually feeling.
And Wind .... Wind had always fought back. It made it easy. Safe.
But now?
Now there was no escaping it.
Sea finally moved, stepping out of the car and heading inside. His house was dark, quiet.
Too quiet.
He tossed his keys on the counter and sank onto the couch, staring at the ceiling.
For years, he had convinced himself that whatever he felt for Wind didn't matter. That it was something fleeting, something he could ignore.
But tonight, when Wind had looked at him and asked What if I also felt something?
Sea had felt something crack.
He groaned, rubbing his temples. What was I supposed to do?
Pretend it was nothing? Keep playing this game forever?
He didn't know how to undo years of pushing Wind away. But tonight, for the first time, it felt like there was a chance to try.
And that terrified him.
Because if Wind really had felt something too...
Then everything was about to start a new.
And Sea wasn't sure if he was ready for that.