For the first time in a long while, Kai had something he looked forward to. Not an exam. Not a research presentation. Not another shift at the restaurant. Adrian. It was ridiculous, honestly. Kai had spent most of his life planning around responsibilities. He knew when tuition was due, when rent needed to be paid, when his mother worked, when his father needed something, and how many hours he could afford to sleep before the next shift. There had never been much room for simply wanting something. Now there was. And somehow, that something had become a man who was almost annoyingly difficult to ignore. Kai was sitting in the library when his phone vibrated. He glanced down. Adrian: Have you eaten? Kai smiled. Kai: You ask me this every day. Adrian: And? Kai: And I’m beginning to think you’re obsessed with food. Adrian: I’m beginning to think you’re incapable of feeding yourself. Kai laughed quietly. Kai: I ate. Adrian: What? Kai stared at the screen. Kai: Why does this feel like an interrogation? Adrian: Answer the question. Kai: Rice. Adrian: That’s not a meal. Kai shook his head. Kai: It had chicken. Adrian: Better. Kai: Satisfied now? Adrian: For the moment. Kai smiled and put the phone down. Three minutes later, he picked it up again. No new message. He frowned. Then immediately scolded himself. Pathetic. He returned to his notes. ⸻ The week settled into a rhythm. Lectures. Assignments. Work. Family. And Adrian. Not constantly. That was what made it different. They didn’t spend every hour talking. Sometimes Adrian disappeared into meetings for an entire day. Sometimes Kai was too busy to answer for hours. Neither complained. But somehow, there was always something waiting when the day finally slowed down. A message. A short call. A photograph of something ridiculous Ethan had done. A complaint about work. A simple Have you eaten? And sometimes, nothing at all. Yet the silence no longer felt empty. It felt comfortable. Until Thursday. That was when Adrian first noticed something was wrong. It started with a message. Adrian: How was your day? Usually, Kai would answer with something sarcastic. Terrible. Survived. Professor Carter tried to kill me. Something. This time, the reply came almost an hour later. Kai: Fine. Adrian stared at the single word. He typed: Adrian: Just fine? The reply didn’t come. Adrian looked at the time. He had a meeting in ten minutes. He put the phone down. Then picked it up again. Nothing. For reasons he couldn’t explain, the silence bothered him. ⸻ That evening, Kai arrived home earlier than usual. His mother was sitting at the dining table with several papers spread in front of her. She quickly gathered them. Kai noticed. “What are those?” “Nothing.” “Mum.” She smiled. “It’s nothing you need to worry about.” Kai pulled out the chair opposite her. “Tell me.” His mother hesitated. “The electricity bill is higher than usual.” “How much?” “It’s fine.” “How much?” She sighed and gave him the amount. Kai’s expression tightened. It wasn’t impossible. But it was more than they could comfortably afford that month. “I’ll handle it.” His mother immediately shook her head. “No. You already work too much.” “I can take another shift.” “No.” “Mum—” “You have university.” “I can manage.” She reached across the table and squeezed his hand. “You always say that.” Kai looked down. She wasn’t angry. That somehow made it worse. His phone vibrated. He glanced at it. Adrian: Are you home? Kai stared at the message. His first instinct was to tell him everything. Then another thought stopped him. No. He didn’t want Adrian to solve this. Not because he didn’t trust him. Because he trusted him too much. Kai knew Adrian would help without making him feel ashamed. And somehow, that made accepting the help even harder. He typed: Kai: Yes. Three dots appeared almost immediately. Adrian: Are you okay? Kai looked at his mother. Then at the bills. Kai: I’m tired. He sent it. A moment later: Adrian: That’s not what I asked. Kai’s fingers stopped moving. He knew Adrian. That was the problem. Adrian was beginning to know him too. Kai: I’m fine. This time, there was no immediate reply. ⸻ At Blake Corporation, Adrian sat alone in his office. The city lights stretched beyond the glass windows. Marcus had already left. The office was quiet. Adrian looked at his phone again. He opened Kai’s conversation. Read the last few messages. Something had changed. Not dramatically. Kai hadn’t said anything wrong. He hadn’t ignored him. He hadn’t pushed him away. But the warmth was missing. The little jokes. The unnecessary arguments. The random complaints. Kai had become careful. And Adrian didn’t like it. He called. The phone rang. Once. Twice. Three times. Kai answered. “Hello?” “You sound tired.” “I am.” Adrian leaned back. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” “Don’t do that.” “Do what?” “Tell me nothing when something is clearly wrong.” Silence. Kai looked at the ceiling from his bed. “Adrian, I’m just tired.” “From university?” “University. Work. Everything.” Adrian’s voice softened. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Kai closed his eyes. “Because there’s nothing you can do.” Adrian went quiet. That sentence stayed between them. Finally, he asked, “Do you think that’s why I’m asking?” Kai didn’t answer. Adrian continued. “I’m not asking because I want to fix something.” Kai opened his eyes. “I’m asking because I want to know.” That hurt more than Kai expected. He swallowed. “I know.” “Then tell me.” Kai looked toward the bedroom door. He could hear his mother moving around outside. “I just have some things to deal with.” “Alone?” Kai hesitated. “Yes.” Adrian exhaled slowly. He could have pushed. He could have demanded an explanation. Instead, he said, “All right.” Kai blinked. “That’s it?” “For tonight.” Kai almost smiled. “You sound annoyed.” “I am.” “Why?” “Because you’re pulling away from me.” Kai went still. Adrian’s voice remained calm. “I noticed.” Kai stared at the phone. “I didn’t mean to.” “I know.” There was no accusation in Adrian’s voice. That somehow made Kai feel worse. “I just…” Kai paused. “I don’t want you to think I expect you to solve everything whenever something goes wrong.” Adrian was silent. Then he said, “Kai.” “Yeah?” “If I wanted someone who depended on me, I wouldn’t have fallen for you.” Kai’s breath caught. Adrian rarely said things like that. “When I ask how your day was,” Adrian continued, “I’m not asking because I want to manage it.” Kai swallowed. “I’m asking because it’s your day.” The room became very quiet. Kai looked down at his hands. “I’ve spent most of my life handling things myself.” “I know.” “I don’t know how to let someone else in.” “I know.” Kai laughed weakly. “You say that like you understand everything.” “I don’t.” That surprised him. Adrian continued. “I’m learning.” Kai smiled. “You?” “Yes.” “That’s new.” “Don’t sound so surprised.” “I’ve never seen you admit you don’t know something.” “There’s a first time for everything.” Kai laughed. It was small. But real. Adrian heard it. His shoulders relaxed slightly. “There you are.” Kai frowned. “What?” “That laugh.” Kai’s cheeks warmed. “You’re strange.” “So I’ve been told.” Silence settled between them again. This time, it wasn’t uncomfortable. Kai whispered, “I’m sorry.” “For what?” “For pulling away.” Adrian answered immediately. “You don’t have to apologize.” “But—” “Just don’t disappear.” Kai closed his eyes. “I won’t.” Adrian believed him. At least for tonight. ⸻ The next morning, Kai woke to a message. Adrian: Good morning. Kai smiled. Then another message appeared. Adrian: You don’t have to tell me everything today. Kai stared at it. Adrian: But don’t shut me out either. Kai’s chest tightened. He typed: Kai: I’ll try. The reply came quickly. Adrian: That’s enough. Kai placed the phone against his chest. For the first time since the bills appeared on the table, the weight on his shoulders felt slightly lighter. Not because Adrian had solved anything. He hadn’t. And that was exactly why Kai trusted him. Adrian hadn’t reached into his life and taken control. He had simply stayed. And perhaps that was what Kai was slowly learning. Sometimes letting someone in didn’t mean handing them your burdens. Sometimes it simply meant letting them know you were carrying them. And Adrian had noticed. He had noticed before Kai was ready to admit it himself.

When Things Begin to Change