Your Hoodie still smells like me - Then What Are We?

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Episode 17 — Your Hoodie Still Smells Like Me

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“Then What Are We?”

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Kai's apology should have made things better.

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It didn't.

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Because now Eli had a new problem.

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Kai understood.

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And somehow that was scarier.

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—

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For two days after the editing room incident, Kai gave Eli exactly what he asked for.

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Space.

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No random texts.

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No jealous comments.

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No showing up unexpectedly.

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No asking where he was.

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No asking who he was with.

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Nothing.

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Absolutely nothing.

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And Eli hated it.

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Which was irritating.

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Because this was literally what he wanted.

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Right?

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Right?

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Apparently not.

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—

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By Wednesday evening, Team 8 was meeting in the media building again.

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Asher sat beside Eli reviewing footage while Lily organized notes.

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Everything was normal.

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Too normal.

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"You've checked your phone seventeen times."

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Eli looked up immediately.

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"What?"

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Asher pointed.

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"Phone."

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Eli looked down.

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Unfortunately—

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Asher was right.

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No new messages.

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Nothing from Kai.

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Again.

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Asher sighed dramatically.

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"You miss him."

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"I don't."

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"You do."

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"I don't."

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"You checked your phone while denying it."

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Eli looked offended.

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Across the table, Lily whispered:

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"This is painful to watch."

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—

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Meanwhile, Kai wasn't doing much better.

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"Text him."

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"No."

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Rowan stared.

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"Text. Him."

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"No."

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"You're suffering."

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Kai looked up from his sketchbook.

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"So am I."

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Damien nearly laughed.

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"You two are impossible."

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The problem was simple.

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Kai respected Eli's wishes.

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Eli wanted distance.

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So Kai gave him distance.

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But now the distance felt worse than the arguments.

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Worse than the jealousy.

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Worse than everything.

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Because for the first time since reuniting—

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Kai genuinely didn't know where he stood.

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—

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Friday night arrived.

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And with it came another Winter Creative Challenge meeting.

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Unfortunately for everyone involved, all teams had to present progress updates in the same hall.

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Meaning:

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Eli and Kai were in the same room again.

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The second Eli entered, he spotted Kai.

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And immediately noticed something strange.

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Kai didn't look at him.

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Not once.

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Not during presentations.

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Not during breaks.

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Not even accidentally.

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The realization bothered Eli more than expected.

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A lot more.

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Eventually, after the meeting ended, students started leaving.

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Eli found himself standing alone near the backstage storage area.

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Trying not to think.

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Failing.

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The door opened behind him.

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Kai stepped inside.

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Both froze.

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The room suddenly felt much smaller.

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For a moment neither spoke.

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Then Kai nodded politely.

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"Hey."

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Hey?

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Hey?

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After everything?

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Eli stared at him.

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"...Hey?"

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Kai looked confused.

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"What?"

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The irritation that had been building all week finally snapped.

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"What do you mean what?"

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Kai frowned.

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"Eli—"

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"No."

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Eli stepped forward.

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Immediately frustrated.

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"No, because now you're acting weird."

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Kai blinked.

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"I'm acting weird?"

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"Yes."

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Kai laughed once.

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Actually laughed.

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Which only annoyed Eli more.

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"You told me to stop acting like I had a claim on you."

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"That's not—"

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"So I stopped."

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The words landed heavily.

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Eli froze.

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Kai continued quietly.

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"You wanted space."

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"I didn't say that."

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"You basically did."

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Silence.

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Because maybe...

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maybe Kai wasn't completely wrong.

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That didn't make it hurt less.

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Kai looked tired.

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Really tired.

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Like he hadn't slept properly in days.

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Finally he asked:

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"What do you want me to do, Eli?"

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The question immediately shut down every argument.

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Because Eli didn't know.

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Not completely.

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Kai took another step closer.

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"Seriously."

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His voice softened.

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"What do you want from me?"

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Eli's heart started beating too fast again.

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Dangerous.

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Very dangerous.

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The storage room suddenly felt too warm.

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Too quiet.

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Kai looked directly at him.

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No walls.

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No defenses.

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Just honesty.

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And somehow that made everything harder.

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Eli swallowed.

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Then whispered:

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"I don't know."

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For a second, Kai looked disappointed.

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Not angry.

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Just sad.

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And that hurt.

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A lot.

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Finally Kai looked away.

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"That's the problem."

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The words came out barely above a whisper.

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Then Kai laughed softly.

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Not happily.

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Just tired.

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"You tell me what I can't be."

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Eli froze.

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Kai looked back at him.

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Eyes painfully honest.

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"But you still haven't told me what I am."

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Silence.

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Complete silence.

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Because Eli didn't have an answer.

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Not yet.

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Kai stepped back toward the door.

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And before leaving, he quietly asked the question neither of them had wanted to face:

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"Then what are we?"41Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUZSf6p6bVE

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