Cal remembered a few hours later, Kilorn sat outside the school building, flowers and chocolates still in hand. His legs were crossed and his head was leaning against the brick wall of the tall building. A leaf crunched beneath Cal’s foot, and Kilorn finally looked up.

They’d had interactions before. Once a group project they almost failed. Once yelling at each other in gym when Kilorn scored for the other team on accident. Cal was stupidly upset about that. Once when Kilorn accidentally smacked the back of Cal’s head with a paper ball in class. He was trying to hit Mare.

“Hey.” Cal found himself murmuring, awkwardly stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Hey.” Kilorn replied back. Cal pulled out his phone to see if Maven had finished putting his materials away. Their chauffeur should be on the way to pick them up soon. There were no messages yet.

“Rejected?” Cal blurted. Kilorn glared at him and Cal pressed his lips together. The two of them sat in that silence for what felt like hours, until Kilorn ripped open the chocolate box and popped the chocolates in his mouth. Cal glanced at his watch, wondering what was taking him so long.

“Why are you here?” Kilorn grumbled out. Cal blinked in surprise and looked down at Kilorn, still sitting on the floor with chocolates stuffed in his mouth. “Uh, Maven.” Cal replied. Kilorn only hummed in response, but his brows shifted slightly, bottom lip jutting out.

“Why are you here?” Cal echoed. Kilorn swallowed and looked up at Cal, smiling as if his heart didn’t just get turned away. “Rejected.” He replied. Cal fought a scoff. Or a smile. Or maybe both. “I…am sorry.” He said instead, trying not to make eye contact. Kilorn only shrugged, looking away from Cal. “I knew she didn’t feel the same. Mare has other ambitions.” He tugged at the grass beneath him and Cal pursed his lips. “And your ambitions are…?” Cal found himself asking. Kilorn sighed, “Dunno. Maybe I’ll try again next year.” Then, he glanced at Cal again, green eyes glistening under the late sun. “Did you have a valentine?” Kilorn asked him. Cal noted the dozens of letters and gifts in and out of his locker. He had ignored all of them. He wanted nothing but to practice his sport. To be the best and impress his golden child father who became Captain in high school. “I did not.” Cal replied, “I have other ambitions.”

Cal noticed Kilorn roll his eyes. “No one cares about love these days.”

Cal remembered that he thought Kilorn was strange for wanting love at their age. They were hardly fourteen, and Kilorn was already setting his eyes on marrying Mare and having a white picket fenced life. He remembered that right after Kilorn had said no one cared about love, Maven texted him. And Cal left Kilorn sitting there without another word.

When high school had started, Cal didn’t speak with Kilorn. It’s not like they got along anyway. Kilorn was more irritating now than he was back then. Never paying attention in class, interrupting the teacher, and bothering Mare until she couldn’t take it anymore. Cal always caught those two down by a lake where he passed on his evening runs. Kilorn’s laugh was as loud as it always was.

The two of them competed in sports too.

Kilorn was an excellent swimmer. It was the only thing Cal knew he was good at. The two often head-butted in the class. Always fighting for the top spot. Cal knew Kilorn hated Cal for being good at everything. For being good at the one thing Kilorn excelled at. They often got into small brawls in the locker room. Verbally fighting and snapping back and forth with comebacks. But after the first semester of sophomore year was over, they didn’t speak a singular time during the second semester.

Until junior year, when Maven joined the debate team and Kilorn tried out for football. Cal was on his way to being Captain, and he had to train Kilorn Warren of all people.

He wasn’t a terrible shot. Kilorn was a decent runner. He could throw alright. But he was never truly good like Cal was. Most games, Kilorn was benched. But when he was on the field, Cal did noticeably better. He remembered butting his helmet against Kilorn’s after scoring a final touchdown seconds before the timer ran out. The loud cheers of the people in the crowd. The sight of his brothers soft frown in between the other faces in the bleachers. Kilorn’s loud laugh, pat on the shoulder, and praise ran through Cal’s head the rest of the night. Even as they sat on the bus beside each other, Cal staring out the window and Kilorn cheering with the rest of the team, his skin buzzed.

They were on their way to a place to eat. Ptolemus turned around in his seat to face Cal and Kilorn. “You think the judges noticed you?” He asked, the same shit eating grin he always had on his face. Cal shrugged, “I think so.”

“Of course they did.” Kilorn scoffed from beside him, “Cal’s the best we have. If they didn’t notice him then…” He took a pause, glancing at Cal, and shyly turning his eyes away, “What was the point of them coming to watch?”

Cal’s eyes widened and his heart thumped against his ribs. He hadn’t realized Kilorn’s…admiration? If that’s what you could call it.