The next day, Lila was back to her usual self—or at least, she was trying to be.

  Elias still caught her hesitating slightly before speaking, still saw the way she would glance at him when she thought he wasn’t looking. But for the most part, she was back to rambling about random things, stuffing her mouth with snacks, and dramatically sighing about school.

  Which was why, when she suddenly turned to him during lunch and blurted out, “Elias, what do you think about love?”—he knew something was different.

  He stared at her. “…Love?”

  Lila nodded, poking at her food. “Yeah. Like… what do you think it is?”

  He processed the question carefully. “Love is an abstract concept, often categorized by emotional and physiological responses. It can be romantic, familial, or platonic, depending on context.”

  Lila blinked. “That’s… a very textbook answer.”

  “It is the correct answer.”

  She groaned. “No, no, I mean—not logically! What does it feel like?”

  Elias paused.

  What did love feel like?

  His mother had once told him that love was caring about someone more than yourself. But he had never felt that.

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  “…I do not know,” he admitted.

  Lila watched him for a long moment. Then, she huffed and leaned forward. “Then we’re gonna figure it out!”

  Elias blinked. “Figure it out?”

  “Yes! I’ll show you what love feels like!”

  Before he could respond, she reached across the table—

  And flicked him on the forehead.

  Elias reeled back slightly. “Ow.”

  Lila grinned. “That’s tough love.”

  He frowned, rubbing his forehead. “That was simply violence.”

  “Pfft, okay, okay—how about this?” She suddenly pulled a small carton of strawberry milk from her bag and placed it in front of him. “This is friendly love! I bought two, so I’m sharing!”

  Elias stared at the drink. “This is love?”

  “Well, kinda! Love is about doing things for someone just because you want to!”

  He picked up the carton, inspecting it. It was pink, with a cartoon strawberry smiling on the front. “And this is a demonstration of that?”

  “Yes! Because I thought of you while buying it!”

  He furrowed his brows. “Why did you think of me?”

  Lila suddenly looked very flustered. “U-Uh—because! Y’know! I see strawberry milk, and I think, ‘Wow, Elias doesn’t eat enough sweets, I should buy him one!’”

  He processed this. “…So love is buying drinks for people?”

  Lila groaned. “No! It’s about thinking of them!”

  Thinking of someone.

  Did he ever do that?

  Elias knew he thought of people in the sense of remembering who they were and interacting with them when necessary. But had he ever thought of someone without reason?

  As if reading his mind, Lila huffed. “Okay, forget that example—this is love too.”

  And then—

  She reached out and gently patted his head.

  Elias froze.

  Her hand was warm. Light. Barely there, but unmistakably present.

  Lila’s expression softened. “See? This is love, too. Just… being nice to someone. Wanting them to feel safe.”

  He did not know why, but for some reason—

  He could not move.

  His mind, usually sharp and clear, suddenly felt slow.

  Why?

  Why was this different from when she flicked his forehead? Why was this different from when she pulled on his sleeve or grabbed his wrist?

  He did not understand.

  But for the first time, he had a feeling—

  That maybe, just maybe, he was starting to notice what he had been missing all along.