Elias knew he should feel touched, but he couldn't help the strange...unease he felt. Either Louis didn't notice his slight frown, or if he did, he didn't comment on it as he continued speaking, unperturbed.

"Ah...you poor thing. No one's taking care of you these days, is that it?" His hand caressed Elias' cheek gently, his long fingers brushing past the pale skin. He then tucked a lock of hair behind Elias' ear, the touch lingering for a moment longer than necessary before abruptly withdrawing.

"Even back then...you needed someone to look after you, Eli. Remember all the times you used to fall down during matches?" He chuckled, his easygoing and calm demeanor contrasting with the unease Elias felt.

Elias was slightly surprised, even shocked, at how...charming and gentle Louis was being so far. He didn't know exactly what he had expected, honestly. Perhaps an angry and hurt man. Or a very awkward dinner. But...Louis was being so, so soft. Soft and gentle with him.

Still, he remained wary, on guard, not allowing himself to be vulnerable or too trusting. He knew he shouldn't. But—he couldn't help it as his mind lulled itself into a soft, warm embrace of security. Almost as if...he wanted to believe in it. He had made a mistake in the past, and he didn’t want to repeat it, but...since when had his heart ever listened to him?

They talked for a while—nothing tense, just relaxing small talk while they ate. It almost seemed like Louis was trying to help him unwind.

Louis let his smile soften as he watched some of the tension slowly leave Elias' slim frame. The blonde became more relaxed and at ease. It was nice to see. Louis felt a wave of nostalgia as he observed him—the same familiar, small tics, the same way he spoke in that soft, gentle voice.

And his appearance—still pale and slightly sickly, but so very beautiful. His eyes were as soft and beautiful as ever. Louis' gaze drifted to the earring in Elias' ear. "...You kept it, huh."

Elias reflexively touched his own ear, noticing Louis' focus on the earring. He averted his eyes. "I guess."

Louis smiled, reaching out to lightly touch the small, shimmery earring, making it clink softly. "...It looks good on you," he said, his voice gentle—the same words he'd spoken years ago when he'd given Elias the earring.

Leaning back in his chair, Louis crossed one leg over the other and chuckled. "I'm surprised you still have it... It's been so long. The day we got it...that was the first time you ever skipped class, right? You were always such a good student."

He continued, "But it was fun, skipping class with you."

Louis' gaze shifted from Elias' eyes to the liquor in his glass as he swirled the dark wine thoughtfully. "That sunset by the beach that day...for some reason, it was the most beautiful one I'd ever seen."

He hummed, a wistful, nostalgic look on his handsome face. "I’ve tried recreating it countless times, you know? Waiting for the sunset, even at the same beach. But it was never the same. Either the sun had changed, or...maybe it wasn’t the sun that made that particular sunset special."

Elias didn’t know what to say. Guilt gnawed at him as he bit his lip, seeing the hurt expression in Louis' eyes. And he was the one responsible for that look.

"I used to wonder...was I so easy to forget?" Louis sighed, his eyes narrowing slightly as they locked onto Elias. "Was I the only one carrying the memories? But those questions were left unanswered, like everything else."

"You must've had your reasons, but...it must've been really easy for you to forget. I guess I thought you'd be...different."

Guilt gripped Elias like a vise. Louis' hurt expression, his words—everything made him feel like the worst person in the world. He didn't deserve Louis. He didn't deserve any of this.

Elias didn’t know how much longer he could endure this conversation. A labored breath escaped his lips as he sat up straight, the rigidity that had relaxed earlier returning. He braced himself for the harsher questions, the confrontation. How could he have thought, even for a moment, that things could be like before? How stupid could he be?

But as if reading his thoughts, Louis’ hurt expression softened. He seemed to decide not to press further or ask the one question Elias dreaded: "Why?" Instead, he shifted the conversation to the dessert.