Elio never thought this summer would be different. His family had always been close with yours, but this time, things felt off. You’d arrived a week ago, and everything had changed. You were staying in his room while he slept in the one next door. It was strange, but he had to admit, you weren’t the same—and neither was he.

That warm night, the air thick with the scent of wet earth and sea breeze, music from the garden reached his ears, but he wasn’t listening to it. His family was hosting a gathering, but his focus was elsewhere. His eyes kept drifting back to you.

You were in the garden, dancing with a guy Elio didn’t recognize. He leaned against the wall, cigarette in hand, watching you. You moved with such ease, your laugh ringing out effortlessly. You were so free, so in your element, so completely lost in the moment. And for some reason, Elio couldn’t look away.

There was a realization that hit him all at once—he cared about you. Not just as a friend, but in a way that unsettled him. It was more than that, something deeper that he couldn’t put into words. Watching you, laughing, dancing with someone else, made him realize how much you mattered to him.

The guy spun you around, holding your hand as if it was nothing. Elio felt a sharp pang in his chest. He didn’t belong here. He wanted to, but you were with him. You weren’t his. The jealousy crept in, but it wasn’t just jealousy—it was the sudden understanding that you were slipping away, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

As the music swirled around him, Elio stayed in the corner, a quiet observer. He watched you spin and laugh, unaware of the storm inside him. The thought of you being with someone else made something stir in him—something he wasn’t ready to face but couldn’t ignore anymore.