Calista fluttered her eyes wide open and immediately straightened her back.
"Ha?"
She roamed her eyes around the room and realized that she was in Elias's study.
Right. I fell asleep.
Calista brushed her hair with her fingers and then wiped the drool on her mouth as she glanced at Elias's desk.
He was gone.
Almost a month had passed since they joined classes, and Calista still hadn't made significant progress in her relationship with Elias.
It's not like she has the luxury to point all her attention to getting close to Elias since her study load became much bigger since she also has to get extra classes to relate to Elias's class.
There are a lot of assignments.
Calista glanced at the wall clock and found out an hour had just passed. An hour ago, Calista was doing her assignment with Elias in the same room, doing his own assignment, but when she fell asleep and woke up, he was now gone.
Whenever Elias got a chance to leave the room after finishing his assignment, he immediately went out.
She went to follow him countless times to find out where he was going, but Elias was good at hiding that, so she ended up going back to her room in low spirits.
I wonder where Elias went.
Her curiosity might be bugging her, but Calista decided not to follow it since she was exhausted.
Calista stood up from her desk after organizing the papers and then went out of the study.
She walked down the corridor at a slow pace while suppressing her yawn, her eyes darting at the scenery outside the huge windows when her eyes suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure.
Calista halted her strides with her eyes wide open at the sight.
It was Elias with his familiar dark auburn hair.
"Where is he going?" She muttered to herself.
Calista watched Elias from the corner of her eye, her heart quickening with a mix of curiosity and cautious excitement.
There was something about the way he moved, so deliberate and unbothered, that made her want to know where he was heading.
When she saw that no one was in the corridor, Calista immediately ran.
Calista's footsteps echoed softly in the corridor as she hurried to catch up with Elias. Her heart beat faster with each passing moment, the adrenaline from her decision to follow him making her both nervous and excited.
When she reached the exit, the cool evening air greeted her like a refreshing breeze. The garden stretched out before her, its lush greenery bathed in the soft golden light of the setting sun.
She scanned the area and caught sight of Elias, his back still turned as he walked further into the garden.
Her instincts told her to stay hidden, so she kept her distance, ducking behind a large bush as she quietly followed. Elias didn't seem to notice her at all, his focus entirely on whatever path he was heading toward. There was a certain quiet intensity to his movements that made Calista's curiosity grow even more.
What was he doing out here alone? And why didn't he want anyone to know where he was going?
After a few more moments of following him at a careful distance, Calista realized he was headed toward a secluded spot in the garden—an area with a small, weathered bench underneath a large oak tree. It was a place she had passed by a few times during her walks but had never really paid attention to.
Elias reached the bench and paused, standing still for a moment before sitting down. He seemed to be lost in thought, his shoulders tense, his gaze distant as he stared at the ground.
Calista, unsure of what to do, stayed behind the bush, trying to decide whether to approach him or leave him be. She knew she was crossing a line by following him, but there was something about his demeanor that unsettled her. She couldn't help but wonder if he was hiding something deeper than just the mysterious places he visited.
Her thoughts raced as she watched him, her body frozen in place. She wasn't sure what she expected to find, but seeing Elias this way—so still and solemn—made her feel a sudden urge to understand him better.
Elias shifted slightly, and Calista's breath caught in her throat. Had he heard her? She held her breath, her body tensing, but he didn't seem to acknowledge her presence. Instead, he pulled something from his coat pocket and stared at it in his hands.
Curiosity gnawed at her as she strained to see what he was holding. It was small, something delicate, glinting faintly in the soft light.
Calista couldn't resist anymore. Stepping out from behind the bush, she approached cautiously, her heart pounding in her chest.
"Elias?" she called softly, her voice breaking the silence of the evening.
He stiffened immediately at the sound of her voice, and his eyes darted toward her. The moment their gazes met, Calista realized how much tension there was in his expression. His jaw tightened, and for a moment, she thought he might tell her to leave.
But instead, he simply stared at her, his eyes flickering between her face and the object in his hands.
"What are you doing here?" His voice was flat, though there was an undertone of something that Calista couldn't place—something guarded.
Calista hesitated for a moment before answering. "I… I saw you walking out here, and I thought… I don't know. I just wanted to see if you were okay."
Elias didn't respond right away. He looked at her for a long moment, his gaze unreadable. Then, he let out a long sigh, as if he had expected this but wasn't exactly pleased by it.
"I'm fine," he said, his tone still distant. "You shouldn't have followed me."
"I wasn't trying to intrude," Calista said quickly, stepping closer but still keeping a respectful distance. "I just—"
Elias's expression softened just slightly, but only enough to show that he understood. His eyes moved back to the object in his hand, and without saying another word, he tucked it back into his coat pocket, as if to hide it away from her gaze.
Calista watched him closely, wondering what was so important about it, but before she could ask, Elias stood up from the bench, brushing off his pants as if preparing to leave.
"Don't follow me again," he said, his voice steady but carrying a note of finality.
Calista's heart sank, but she didn't protest. She simply nodded, though the disappointment in her chest was hard to ignore. Elias, as always, was distant and closed off, unwilling to share whatever was troubling him.
As he turned to walk away, Calista watched him go, feeling both an overwhelming desire to know more and a deep sense of frustration. What was it that Elias was keeping from her? And why was he so determined to face whatever it was alone?
She stayed there for a moment, staring at the bench where he had been sitting, then glanced at the path he had taken.