After Death, Love Unveiled (Elara and Lysander)

Ever since Elara cut ties with Asher, he hadn't sent her so much as a single gift.

Daphne was starting to think it was high time they pulled Elara back into their little circle-after all, cutting her off completely wasn't exactly an option.

Daphne figured that as long as Elara still had feelings for Asher, she'd be willing to drop cash on him, which would help them out of the financial hole they'd been stuck in lately.

Asher was currently juggling a bunch of part-time jobs just to scrape by, barely covering his own expenses, let alone playing chauffeur for Elara like he used to. Things were a far cry from the days when she had been practically throwing money his way.

Besides, Daphne was convinced Asher wasn't about to fall for some woman who had a thing for older men. Even if Elara still had a soft spot for him, Daphne didn't feel threatened in the slightest.

But when she suggested the idea to Elara, the response was instant-and cold. "No, I'm not going

Daphne blinked, surprised. "Why not? Asher still likes you, you know. He talks about you all the time! We used to be friends, no need to make it awkward"

Elara glanced at her, and her mind wandered back to before she'd time-traveled.

Back then, she had been ready to give up everything-her family, her career-just to marry Asher. Daphne had been the middleman, always talking Asher up, playing matchmaker without a care in the world. She didn't care if Elara got close to Asher because deep down, Daphne knew Elara never stood a real chance. Asher had only stayed with Elara for the benefits, and his heart had always belonged to Daphne. Now, hearing Daphne praise him again, Elara felt nothing. "I've got standards when it comes to picking my Daphne's smile faltered, and her face hardened.

my friends

Sensing the tension, a couple of people jumped to Daphne's defense. Forget her, Daphne. If she doesn't wanna go, don't waste your time. Let's just go! And with that, they all headed out to cheer for Asher. A bit later, Elara wandered into the gym.

By then, Asher had already changed into his sports gear, looking tall and athletic, standing right in front of Daphne, who was smiling up at him like she'd just won the lottery.

His muscles were pretty obvious under the tight shirt, showing off how much time he spent working out. Daphne's cheeks flushed as she ogled him.

The second Elara walked in, the whole vibe changed. Asher immediately caught sight of her, eyebrows raised "Didn't think you were coming"

Daphne turned around too, her voice almost too soft. "Elara

The atmosphere between them was disgustingly sweet, and Elara couldn't be bothered to deal with it.

She found herself a seat in the stands, somewhere with a good view, but far enough from Daphne's little group to keep her distance.

She hadn't spotted Lysander yet, but it didn't take long before she ran into Crispin-the guy she'd clashed with a few days ago. Crispin swaggered over, whistling obnoxiously, and shouted, "Elara!" loud enough to turn a few heads. With a cocky smirk, he sneered at her. "You gonna apologize for cussing me out the other day?"

Elara raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Weren't you the one running your mouth first? Calling me someone's sugar baby-real fucking classy, by the way.

Crispin threw his hands up, playing the innocent card. "What'd I do to piss you off?"

La

"Spreading rumors about people-is that how you get off? If you're gonna talk shit, don't be surprised when someone calls you

out.

He shrugged, still trying to act casual. "Everyone's saying it."

Elara shot back without missing a beat. "Yeah? And if everyone was saying you're gay, would that make it true?"

Crispin's smug grin dropped, his face blank with shock. "Who the hell said that?"

Seeing him all flustered, Elara almost laughed at how ridiculous he looked.

But Crispin wasn't about to back off. He stepped closer, his tone mocking. You asked for my name last time, right? What, you wanna be my sugar mama or something?" Elara rolled her eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Buddy, please. You're not even in the same league."

Crispin wasn't ready to give up just yet. He leaned in, grinning cockily. "Alright, tell me-who's hotter, me or Asher?"

Asher had a solid rep at Crestview Senior High, but Crispin wasn't the type to get overshadowed.

Elara Kensington smirked. Why? Thinking of hooking up with him?"

Crispin blinked, caught off guard, then fired back. Tm saying, do I even stand a chance! You used to be all over him. Maybe you could switch it up and go for me instead."

He flashed a cocky grin, lifting his shirt to show off his abs. A couple of nearby girls gasped, obviously impressed.

Elara just rolled her eyes. His little stunt was beyond cringe, and she couldn't be bothered to even react.

Right then, a loud scream ripped through the gym, cutting through the chatter. Elara whipped around to see Lysander strolling in. wearing a spotless white jersey with the number 11 stamped on the back.

For a moment, the attention had been on Crispin, but the second Lysander walked in, the whole room's focus snapped to him. Nobody had expected him to show up.

As soon as Crispin spotted him, he dropped whatever he was saying to Elara and rushed over. "Hey, Lysander," he greeted, his tone a little too respectful trying hard to seem casual.

Elara's eyes lit up when she saw Lysander. She waved at him, almost bouncing with excitement. But Lysander's face stayed as cold as ice. He looked right past her, not a flicker of emotion.

Crispin noticed the whole thing. Standing next to Lysander, he saw Elara still waving like an

eager puppy

He smirked to himself So, she's not into me because she's chasing after Lysander? Tough luck, girl. He's never been into girls You're barking up the wrong tree.

Lysander joined the rest of the team for warm-ups, while the crowd stayed glued to him like moths to a flame.

Across the gym. Asher caught Elara's expression. In his eyes, the way she lit up at the sight of Lysander was almost sad. He let out a low chuckle. What a joke, he thought,

Watching from the sidelines, Daphne raised an eyebrow and leaned toward Asher. "Wait, so now Elara's going after Lysander?" Daphne couldn't deny it-Lysander had that quiet, magnetic presence that pulled everyone in.

But she also knew better than to set her sights on a guy like him. The dude had it all: brains, looks, a family worth a fortune, and on top of that, he wasn't even interested in relationships. Everybody knew it. Daphne had enough sense not to waste time on someone so out of reach,

But she had to admit. Elara's nerve was something else. A girl with a reputation for cozying up to older guys thinking she could actually snag Lysander? Please. That is shooting for the goddamn moon, she thought.

In her mind, if Elara had her eyes on Asher, it'd make sense-he was popular, rich, and not too far out of her league. But Lysander wasn't a chance.

Asher stayed quiet for a second before muttering Im gonna go warm up"

Hed assumed Elara had come to watch him, but nope-she was here, cheering for Igander That realization hit him Hee a sucker punch, stirring up an irritation he couldn't quite pin down

Funny thing was. Asher used to think that when Elara finally stopped being obsessed with him, he feel retardagbe me happy. After all shed been like a shadow always sticking around, no matter how hard he tried to take her off But now she really wasn't hanging around him anymore. And he didn't expect it to feel this shiny

Asher had always seen Lysander as his competition. Back when he lived with the Kensingtons, it was obvious that Barren had been pushing for Elara and Lysander to end up together

At the time. Asher had felt secretly smug about the whole thing "Yeah, so what if you're beer than me in every way, Iguanders The girl you're supposed to marry? She used to be crazy about me, and she couldn't give two shits about yout That thought used to make him feel good, like he was finally winning something

But now Elara had changed. She wasn't looking at him anymore-her attention was fully on Lysander. And it was fucking with his head, big time.

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