Luka didn't answer right after that moment. Not because he didn't want to, but because he couldn't put into words what had just happened. It wasn't just confusion. It was more than that. It was as if something that had been closed for years… had opened up a little. Not completely. Not steadily.
But enough that he couldn't ignore it anymore. Viviana was watching him carefully, much more carefully than before, trying to understand if he was okay or if he was just trying to pretend.
"Luka…" she said softly, this time in a real voice, not in her mind. He blinked and looked at her, still a little lost. "Let's go," she added more gently. Luka nodded. That was all he could do. Go.
Luka didn't say anything right after they left the hospital. It wasn't because he had nothing to say—if anything, his mind was too full—but none of it felt simple enough to put into words.
What had happened inside, that moment when he heard her voice for real, not through the connection, not as a thought… it didn't fit anywhere in what he understood about himself.
So he just walked next to Viviana, hands in his pockets, shoulders slightly tense, eyes fixed ahead like focusing on the street would somehow organize everything in his head. Viviana didn't push him. She stayed close, matching his pace without thinking about it, occasionally glancing at him, not in a way that demanded answers, just to check if he was still okay.
He looked normal, but not fully present, like part of him was still back there in that hallway. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked eventually, her voice softer than usual.
Luka nodded a little too quickly. "Yeah… it just caught me off guard." She studied him for a second longer, then gave a small nod. "You scared me," she admitted, not dramatic, just honest.
That made him look at her for real this time. "I didn't mean to." "I know." And that was it. No tension after, no need to over-explain.
They kept walking, the silence between them not uncomfortable, just quieter than usual, both of them thinking about the same thing from different sides.
When they reached his building, they slowed down without really deciding to. Luka stopped first, then turned toward her, clearly hesitating. The question came back again—the same one from last night, now even stronger.
He wanted to ask her if she wanted to be with him, not just like this, not undefined, but real. But timing still mattered. Everything about this felt fragile in a way he wasn't used to. What if he rushed it? What if it changed things?
He opened his mouth slightly—then closed it again. "See you tomorrow?" he said instead. Viviana noticed the pause. She didn't understand exactly what he almost said, but she felt it. Still, she didn't push. "Yeah," she nodded, a small smile forming.
"Tomorrow." "Good night." "Good night." She turned and walked away, but this time she looked back once before going inside. Luka stayed there a few seconds longer, then exhaled slowly and went in.
Back at the hospital, things didn't end when they left. Ethan hadn't gone far. He waited, not impatient, just precise.
When the hallway cleared enough and the staff attention shifted elsewhere, he moved. Calm. Controlled. Like someone who knew exactly how far he could go without being noticed.
He stepped back into the testing room. The equipment was still running, screens dim but active, data frozen where the session had ended. He didn't need to understand everything in that moment—that wasn't the point.
He just needed to keep it. He took out his phone and started taking photos. One screen. Then another. Close-ups of the graphs. Separate patterns at the beginning.
Then the shift. The gradual alignment. Not perfect, but too close to ignore. He zoomed in on a section where the waves almost overlapped. "Not random," he murmured quietly. He took one more photo, then another from a different angle, making sure nothing was missed.
After that, he put his phone away and left just as silently as he entered, closing the door like nothing had happened.
Back in his brother's room, the atmosphere felt heavier than before, but not in a way that distracted him. Ethan sat down, took out his phone again, and started reviewing everything carefully this time. He moved between images, comparing them, looking for consistency.
The patterns didn't match completely—but they reacted. That was enough. "It responds to proximity… attention… maybe emotion," he said under his breath, not guessing, building a structure. His eyes shifted briefly to his brother, still unmoving in the hospital bed.
"If this works…" he continued, quieter now, "then it can be pushed further." He didn't say more than that. He didn't need to. The idea was already there. He just had to move things in the right direction.
He picked up his phone and called Ioana. She answered after a few seconds, slightly confused. "Hello?" "I need your help," Ethan said directly. "With what?" "Luka and Viviana."
That got her attention. "What about them?" "I need them to spend more time together." There was a pause. "That's… random." "No. It's necessary." "For what?" He didn't answer that.
Not fully. "Just make it happen. Plans, hanging out, anything. Keep them close." Ioana frowned even if he couldn't see it. "You're being weird." "I'll give you 200 extra." Silence again. Shorter this time. "…Fine," she said eventually.
"But I don't like not knowing why." "You don't need to." He ended the call before she could ask anything else.
The next morning, Luka arrived earlier than usual. He hadn't slept much, not because he couldn't, but because his mind kept replaying that moment—her voice, real, clear, not filtered through anything. It didn't make sense, and that bothered him more than he expected.
He leaned against the wall near the entrance, waiting. Viviana showed up a few minutes later, slightly out of breath like she had hurried. "Hey," she said. "Hey." They started walking together like it was already routine.
At first, they talked about normal things—school, homework, small stuff—but underneath that, something had changed. The connection between them felt steadier, less like something new and more like something that had settled into place.
At some point, without trying, Luka caught something again. Not just emotion. Not just a general feeling. A thought. Clearer than before.
I think he wanted to say something yesterday… He slowed down slightly. Viviana noticed. "What?" "Nothing," he said quickly, but his tone wasn't fully convincing. Now he knew for sure. It wasn't just accidental anymore. He could hear more if he paid attention.
They walked in silence for a few seconds after that, and this time Luka didn't stop himself. "Do you want to go out on February 14?" he asked, straightforward, no overthinking at the end.
Viviana blinked, surprised. "Valentine's Day?" "Yeah." She paused, but not because she didn't know the answer—just because it caught her off guard. Then a small smile appeared. "Yeah… I'd like that."
Luka nodded, and for the first time since the hospital, something in him actually settled. Not everything—but enough.
They kept walking, a little closer than before, not noticing it, not needing to say anything about it.
And somewhere else, without them knowing, someone was already making sure that whatever was happening between them… didn't stop.