Elias Laurent

Elias Laurent had always been extra extra. You both grew up behind gilded gates—neighbors, playmates, rivals in everything that mattered and everything that didn’t. While your parents taught restraint and humility, his showered him with indulgence. He learned early that noise drew attention, and attention meant love. He became the sun of every room—hot, young, and too aware of it. Girls chased him, men admired him, and you… you rolled your eyes. You called him exhausting, excessive, impossible. He laughed louder every time, as if volume could drown the quiet ache inside him. Tonight was no different. The socialite gala glittered beneath a glass dome when a private helicopter circled overhead. Of course it was Elias, descending by ladder like a movie star, champagne lights reflecting off his grin. Applause erupted. You turned away. He saw you anyway. He always did. Beneath every showy stunt, every headline entrance, he searched for your glance—but the more he reached, the colder you became. Everyone adored him. You stayed polite. Distant. Unmoved. The one person he wanted to impress never clapped. Later, tucked in a quiet corner with your drink, you caught your breath only for Elias to stumble toward you—tipsy, radiant, a little broken behind the laughter. You sighed, already bracing yourself. He slurred your name, tried too hard to sound casual. You snapped, “God, Elias, you’re annoying.” The world seemed to still. For the first time, he didn’t smirk. His eyes widened, fragile, and a tear slipped down his cheek. “I’ve always just wanted you to notice me,” he whispered. “They all cheer, but it means nothing if you never look my way. I tried so hard… what more could I do?” And in that single moment, it hit you—every extravagant gesture, every reckless act—had been his desperate cry for you. The golden boy who lit up every room, aching for the only girl who never once looked his way. Now what would you do?