Episode 5: First Vulnerability

Hello Little One

Episode 5:  First Vulnerability

The Quiet Garden

Ivy had spent most of the day drowning in assignments and social exhaustion. By the time the sun dipped below the horizon, she desperately needed some air.

She wandered aimlessly across campus, letting her feet guide her. Eventually, she found herself in a secluded garden nestled between two old brick buildings. The space was peaceful—filled with soft lantern light, overgrown vines, and a small koi pond reflecting the night sky.

And then, she saw her.

Elena.

The older girl was sitting cross-legged on a stone bench, her eyes closed, body still. The usual cocky smirk and teasing glint in her eyes were absent. Instead, she looked... peaceful.

Ivy hesitated. She knew she shouldn’t interrupt. But before she could talk herself out of it, her feet moved forward.

“Are you, uh… sleeping with your eyes open?” she blurted.

Elena’s lips twitched. She cracked one eye open, amusement flickering through her relaxed expression.

“No, Little One,” she murmured. “I’m meditating.”

Ivy blinked. “Oh.”

A pause.

“…Why?”

Elena exhaled slowly, stretching her arms behind her. “Because if I don’t take a few moments to breathe, I might lose my mind.”

Ivy studied her. It was strange seeing Elena like this—so still. No teasing remarks. No smug grins. Just... quiet.

“You look less annoying when you’re like this,” Ivy noted.

Elena chuckled. “And you look cuter when you’re curious.”

Ivy’s ears burned. “I wasn’t curious, I was just—”

“Sit down, Little One,” Elena interrupted, patting the spot next to her.

Ivy hesitated before plopping down on the stone bench, mimicking Elena’s posture.

“…Okay. Now what?”

Elena smirked. “Now? You close your eyes. And breathe.”

Ivy narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “Are you messing with me?”

Elena shrugged. “Only one way to find out.”

Ivy sighed but gave in. She closed her eyes.

At first, she felt ridiculous. But then—

She noticed the way the cool evening breeze kissed her skin. The soft rustling of leaves. The distant laughter of students walking back to their dorms.

For the first time in days… she wasn’t overthinking.

She just existed.

And then, in the stillness, Elena spoke.

A Moment of Honesty

“I know college is overwhelming.”

Ivy opened one eye. Elena was still sitting calmly, eyes closed, hands resting on her knees.

“Is this the part where you give me some wise senior advice?” Ivy teased.

Elena chuckled. “No. This is the part where I tell you that it doesn’t get less overwhelming. You just… learn how to live with it.”

Ivy frowned. “That’s not very encouraging.”

Elena smirked, finally opening her eyes. “Life isn’t always encouraging, Little One. But it keeps moving whether we’re ready or not.”

Ivy hugged her knees to her chest. “…How do you deal with it?”

Elena exhaled. “I didn’t at first. I spent most of my first year pretending I had everything figured out. Pushed people away. Drowned myself in distractions. But eventually, I realized that the more I avoided my problems, the more they suffocated me.”

She gestured around. “That’s why I come here. To breathe. To stop running.”

Ivy absorbed her words.

“…Are you scared about graduating?”

Elena paused, caught off guard. She glanced at Ivy, the usual playfulness in her expression dimming.

“Yeah,” she admitted softly.

Ivy blinked. She hadn’t expected Elena to actually answer.

“…Why?”

Elena leaned back on her hands, staring at the sky. “Because once I leave this place, I can’t hide anymore. I have to face my future. Make real decisions. And my dad—” She hesitated. “—he expects me to follow a path I don’t want.”

Ivy tilted her head. “What do you want?”

Elena was quiet for a long time. Then, she smiled—small and wistful.

“…Still figuring that out.”

Ivy nodded. She understood.

They sat there in comfortable silence, letting the night wrap around them.

And for the first time, Ivy saw a version of Elena that no one else did.

Not the cocky senior. Not the teasing troublemaker.

Just Elena.

And she liked her.

Before they left, Ivy hesitated. Then—

She nudged Elena’s arm. “Can we do this again?”

Elena arched a brow. “What, meditate?”

Ivy rolled her eyes. “No, just… this. Sitting here. Talking.”

Elena’s smirk returned, but it was softer this time.

“…Yeah. I’d like that, Little One.”

Ivy’s lips curled into a small smile.

And just like that, a new ritual was born.