Mondays always felt heavier after school. Not louder, not busier, just heavier. Like the air had decided to sit on your shoulders and refuse to move.
The café smelled like roasted coffee beans and sugar melting into milk. Familiar. Safe. I tied my apron a little tighter before stepping back onto the floor, already spotting them near the window.
Elias sat with his chair tilted back slightly, long legs stretched out under the table like he owned the space without trying. Maya was beside him, hunched over her notes, highlighter uncapped, fully in project mode. Our fourth group member, quiet and forgettable in the nicest way, flipped through printed articles.
And then there was me. Half waitress, half student. Whole mess.
"Hey," Maya said when she noticed me. She smiled, the kind that came easy. "You survived Monday."
"Barely," I said, placing menus down out of habit even though they didn't need them.
Elias looked up then. Really looked. His gaze lingered for a second longer than necessary, like he was filling in blanks he hadn't solved yet.
"We're almost done with the timeline section," he said. "Your part fits right after this."
I nodded, slipping into the chair beside them when my manager waved to let me sit for a bit. The table was scattered with notebooks, pens, printed articles, and half-drunk iced coffees. It felt almost normal. Too normal.
For a few minutes, it was just the scratch of pens, Maya muttering under her breath, and Elias tapping his finger lightly against the table while reading.
Then he spoke again. Softer this time.
"Hey, Wren."
I looked up.
"You never told me why you couldn't come yesterday."
There it was.
The question didn't feel accusing. Just curious. Persistent in that quiet way that made it harder to dodge.
"I had… stuff," I said automatically.
Maya shot me a look but didn't say anything.
Elias didn't smile this time. "Yeah. You said that last time too."
Heat crept up my neck. I focused on the edge of my notebook, tracing a tiny tear in the paper with my thumb.
"It wasn't really something I could skip," I added.
"Family stuff?" he asked.
I hesitated. The café noise faded slightly, like my brain had turned the volume down. I could feel the words lining up, pushing forward. Not the whole truth. Just enough.
"I just…" I started, then stopped. I swallowed. "It's complicated."
"I get complicated," he said quickly. "I live with it."
That almost made me laugh. Almost.
I turned toward him, ready to explain in fragments, the way I always did. Careful. Measured.
And then the bell above the café door rang.
Not the soft kind. The kind that announced itself.
The temperature in the room shifted.
Serena walked in first.
She didn't rush. She never did. Everything about her was deliberate. Her hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, glossy and styled like she'd stepped out of a magazine. Her clothes were clean lines and quiet brands. Expensive without screaming about it.
Two girls followed behind her, laughing softly, eyes already scanning the room like it belonged to them.
And then Serena saw us.
Her gaze landed on Elias first, predictably. Then it slid to Maya. Then to me.
And paused.
"Well," she said, lips curving. "This is… unexpected."
I stood up automatically, waitress instincts kicking in before student ones could catch up. "Table for three?"
One of the girls snorted.
Serena tilted her head, studying my apron like it offended her. "You work here?"
"Yes," I said simply.
"That's… cute," she replied, like the word tasted strange.
Her eyes flicked back to Elias. "Didn't expect to see you here. Especially with…" She gestured vaguely at the table. "Homework."
"We're working on a project," Maya said, sharp but polite.
Serena raised an eyebrow. "At a café?"
"It's quiet," Elias said. His tone was calm, but something had shifted. He sat straighter now.
"And she's the waitress?" Serena asked, nodding at me. "Multitasking queen"
One of her friends laughed again.
I felt small. Not because of the words exactly, but because of how easily they were thrown.
"I'll get your order," I said, forcing my voice steady.
Serena leaned closer across the counter. "No rush. We're not going anywhere."
I walked away before my face could betray me. My hands shook slightly as I grabbed menus. When I returned, they ordered without looking at me.
As I stepped back, I caught Elias watching Serena with something unreadable in his eyes. Not admiration. Not quite annoyance either.
When my manager called me to the back, I didn't protest.
By the time I returned, the study table felt… off. Like the warmth had been replaced with something brittle.
Maya checked her phone. "I actually have to run after this. My mom sent me on errands."
Elias glanced at me. "The project still needs work, mainly on our ends."
"I close at nine," I said quietly.
There was a beat.
"We could continue at my place," he offered. "If you're okay with that."
Serena's laughter echoed faintly from the other side of the café.
I nodded. "Yeah. That works."
The words felt heavier than they should have.
But also… inevitable.
I couldn't afford to pass on this, especially since I'm part of the reason why we are a bit behind on schedule.
I stood up quietly to attend to more customers, by the time I could catch a breather, it was already 15 minutes till it was 9.
Maya had long gone along with Serena and her crew, I glanced at the table to see Elias, head on the table. Sleeping softly.
I quickly changed out of my apron while I clocked out so we could get going.
I grabbed my back pack and arranged the rest of the items into my bag then I gently tapped his shoulder to get him back to reality.
I nudged him once, no response.
A second time, no response.
I see, he's a deep sleeper. I groaned silently as I bent to whisper his name into his ear.
"Elias, I just clocked off, let's get going" I whispered gently, he stirred in his sleep then met my gaze immediately.
I was startled a bit, but then I stepped back, catching my breath I headed out first.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He led the way down the street, hands in his pockets, walking like this was the most natural thing in the world. Like walking beside me wasn't something new or carefully considered. His car was parked just around the corner, sleek and dark beneath the streetlight.
He opened the passenger door, and I hesitated for half a second before getting in. The seat was warm, faintly scented with something clean and familiar. Elias got in on the other side, started the engine, and pulled into the road.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
The city lights slid past the window, stretching into soft streaks of gold and white. My thoughts kept circling back to earlier, to the moment he'd asked why I hadn't shown up yesterday. To how close I'd come to answering honestly.
"You okay?" he asked eventually.
"Yeah," I said, though it came out quieter than I meant it to. "Just tired."
"Long day," he said, like it was a statement, not a question.
I glanced at him, at the way the dashboard light traced his profile. Calm. Focused. Nothing like the version of him Serena tried to claim with her presence alone.
"You didn't have to invite me over," I said. "We could've figured something else out."
"I wanted to," he replied simply. "And the project still needs work."
That earned a small smile from me.
The neighborhood changed as we drove, houses growing larger, farther apart, their lights dimmer but steadier. Elias turned into a quiet cul-de-sac and pulled into a driveway that looked too big for one person.
"This is me," he said.
The house loomed but didn't feel cold. Just quiet. Waiting.
"My parents are out of state for work," he added as he unlocked the door. "So it's just me."
Inside, the space was open and clean, all muted colors and soft lighting. It didn't feel showy, just… intentional. Like everything had a place, even if it wasn't always used.
We spread our things out on the dining table. Laptops, notebooks, printed articles. Familiar chaos. Safe chaos.
For a while, we worked in silence. The kind that wasn't awkward, just focused. Pens scratched. Keys clicked. Every now and then our hands brushed as we reached for the same page, and each time it sent a quiet jolt through me.
"So," Elias said eventually, leaning back slightly. "You were about to explain earlier. Before Serena walked in."
I froze, pen hovering above the page.
"I don't have to know," he added quickly. "I just figured… if you wanted to say something."
I stared down at my notes. The words pressed against my ribs, restless.
"I moved here recently," I said instead. "To live with my aunt."
"I know that part," he said gently.
"There's more," I continued. "I'm just not good at saying it all at once."
He nodded. Didn't push.
"That's okay," he said. "You don't owe me anything."
Something loosened in my chest at that.
We worked for another hour, maybe two. Time slipped quietly past us. When I finally checked my phone, it was later than I'd expected.
"I should head home," I said, packing my things.
Elias walked me to the door. Outside, the night was still, stars faint but present, like they were trying.
"I'll drive you home, it's really late and you're not familiar with this environment"
I froze, I wasn't comfortable with anyone knowing my address not like I was hiding, but it was just not yet the time. I smiled calmly, "oh it's fine I'll just walk to the bus station and get on a bus. Don't sweat it" I said as casually as I could. He paused, "oh still reserved I see, it's fine then. I'll just drop you at the bus station then" he said as he slipped into the drivers seat, no room for protest I see. I followed suite too.
It was a calm ride to the station, but none of us said anything.
"Thanks for coming," he said. "Really." As he dropped me off.
"Thanks for asking and dropping me off"
He smiled, not moving
"Elias?"
"Yeah?"
"We'll finish this," I said. "The project."
He smiled. Not the easy one. The real one. "Together."
I walked away before I could overthink it.
Inside the bus, the quiet wrapped around me again, but this time it didn't feel heavy. Just thoughtful.
Monday had tried to wear me down.
Instead, it had left me with something unfinished. And strangely enough, I didn't mind that at all.