The backyard was like a living, breathing Van Gogh painting, all swirling colors and barely contained chaos. Flowers of every hue imaginable fought for attention, leading the eye to a lagoon so still it could've been made of glass. And there, perched on a rock like some brooding gargoyle, was Kel.

"Mind if I join your pity party?" she asked, only half-joking.

Without turning, Kel responded dryly, "Sure, why not? Misery loves company, right?"

Presence plopped down next to him, her smirk practically audible. "As if you said no, I'd leave."

A moment of silence passed before Presence attempted to lighten the mood. "So, brooding by the water. Very poetic. Should I expect some soul-stirring verses soon?"

Kel's lips twitched slightly. "Only if you want your ears to bleed."

"Ah, a comedian and a poet. What can't you do?" she teased.

"Levitate. Still working on that one," Kel quipped back, but his heart wasn't in it.

Presence noticed his subdued tone and tried again. "Well, if you figure it out, let me know. Could save a fortune on transportation."

Kel merely nodded, his gaze still fixed on the water.

Sensing his distraction, Presence's playful demeanor faded. She turned to him, concern etching her features. "Hey, are you okay?"

Kel finally looked at her, surprise flickering in his eyes. "Yeah, why?"

Presence's smile faltered, like a light bulb on its last flicker. "You still in there?"

Kel turned to her, his eyes a storm of emotions. "Yeah, I'm here. Just... thinking."

"Thinking?" Presence echoed, her voice softer now. "That sounds dangerous. Want to share with the class?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary stuff going on,"

Presence hesitated, "I don't know why it feels like you are hiding something from me."

Kel scoffed, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"What?" Presence asked, confused by his reaction.

"Really? You of all people ask me that," Kel said, his tone sharp.

"What do you mean?"

Kel turned to face her fully now, his expression a mix of frustration and hurt. "I mean the whole mystery thing with you was adorable and... well, very sexy, but Presence, you hid a lot of things from me."

The air between them grew tense as Kel's words hung in the air, challenging the very foundation of their relationship. The peaceful backdrop of the garden now seemed at odds with the emotional storm brewing between them.

Presence exhaled, her shoulders sagging slightly. "If you're talking about the thing with Anthony and Funi, I... I'm sorry, Kel... I tried to tell but..."

"But what?" Kel pressed, his voice tight.

"Never mind..." Presence trailed off, averting her gaze.

"Yeah, it's all chill anyway," Kel muttered, his tone belying his words.

"Doesn't feel like it," Presence observed quietly.

"Oh yeah, what does it feel like?" Kel's words were sharp, challenging.

Presence's chest tightened, as if her heart was trying to curl into itself. She had never seen Kel like this before. Maybe flesh and blood seemingly running through his veins made him act like the teenage boy he truly was.

"I think Funi might need help in the kitchen," she mumbled, backing away like she'd stumbled into a lion's den. "I just came to check on you and..."

"Sure," Kel cut her off, his voice flat.

Presence turned to leave, taking a step or two before whirling back around, anger suddenly blazing in her eyes like a forest fire of indignation. "You know what?" she snapped, her words cracking like a whip.

Kel didn't even bother to look at her, apparently finding the lagoon more interesting.

"It's not like you've always been Mr. Transparency either," she accused, her words dripping with enough sarcasm to fill the lagoon.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kel asked, finally turning to face her.

"When you left for days, where the fuck were you? Then you disappear when Chief's henchman is taking me away and reappear not as a ghost but as human... There, explain that," Presence challenged, her voice rising.

"I owe you no explanation," Kel retorted coldly.

Presence scoffed, her anger palpable. "Oh right, you're a typical fucking boy..."

"I thought you were fucking leaving," Kel shot back, his words laced with venom.

Presence opened her mouth, then closed it, tears welling up in her eyes like tiny, angry oceans. She stood there for a moment, trembling with emotion, before delivering her parting shot: "I liked you better as a ghost."

The words hung in the air between them, charged with hurt and disappointment. The peaceful lagoon and the colorful garden stood in stark contrast to the emotional turmoil that had erupted between Kel and Presence, leaving their relationship teetering on a precarious edge.

Kel stood up slowly, his eyes burning with the kind of hurt that masquerades as anger. "Oh, that's great to know, Seer. Maybe you can find a way to drive a stake through my ghostly heart. Send me back to my see-through state," he said, his sarcasm thick enough to spread on toast.

Presence's face crumpled like a paper heart. "You're being a dick, Kel. This isn't you."

"Oh yeah?" Kel retorted, his voice rising. "You've only known me for a few weeks... how do you know this isn't the me that has been hiding underneath all along?"

"That's a fucking lie," Presence spat, her hands clenching into fists.

Kel's next words came out in a rush, as if he couldn't hold them back anymore. "I'm happy this whole thing is about to be over so I can leave you to get back to the normal fucking life you've always craved. This stupid dream between us, it's high time we woke from it."

Presence felt as if she'd been punched in the gut. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, and she barely managed to whisper, "Fuck you," before turning to walk away, tears streaming down her face.

"Well, fuck you too!" Kel shouted after her, his voice cracking with emotion.

He watched her retreating form for a moment before adding, his voice now tinged with bitterness and regret, "I guess I was just another ghost story for you to tell, right? Something exciting to spice up your boring life before you moved on to the next thrill?"

Presence froze mid-step, her whole body tensing. Slowly, she turned back to face Kel, her eyes blazing with fury and hurt. For a moment, it looked like she might lunge at him in anger.

Instead, she marched back towards him with purpose. Kel braced himself, expecting her to slap him or push him. But as she reached him, Presence grabbed his face with both hands and crashed her lips against his in a deep, passionate kiss.

It was the kind of kiss that feels like a fight and a surrender all at once. Like they were trying to prove something to each other, or maybe to themselves.

When they finally came up for air, they just stood there, foreheads touching, breathing hard. It was one of those moments that feel infinite and fleeting at the same time, where anything seems possible and nothing seems certain.

Then reality crashed back in – literally. The sound of breaking dishes from inside the house startled them apart. They looked toward the noise, then back at each other, suddenly unsure what to do with their hands or their eyes or this new, fragile thing between them.

Presence turned back to Kel, her eyes as wide as cartoon saucers. "Oh god," she whispered, her voice quivering like a leaf. "You don't think she saw, do you?"

Kel tried to respond, he really did. But his brain had apparently decided to go on strike, leaving him gaping like a fish out of water. It was almost comical, really, how quickly they'd gone from passionate kiss to panic-stricken teenagers.

Presence, ever the pragmatist, wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. It was a futile attempt at composure, like trying to bail out the Titanic with a teacup. "I should... I should go help," she mumbled, her voice thick with all the things they weren't saying.

As she turned to leave, Kel's hand shot out, grabbing hers. It was pure instinct, the kind of move your body makes before your brain can veto it.

Their eyes met, and suddenly the air was thick with unspoken words. It was like they were trying to have an entire conversation without actually saying anything. Spoiler alert: it wasn't working.

"I just want to go help," Presence repeated, her voice soft and pleading. It was the verbal equivalent of a white flag, a retreat from whatever this moment was becoming.

Kel hesitated, caught between wanting to hold on and knowing he should let go. Finally, with all the reluctance of a child surrendering their favorite toy, he released her hand.

Presence let out a little scoff, a sound that managed to convey frustration, hurt, and a hint of 'why are we like this?' all at once. Then she was gone, heading back to the house, leaving Kel alone with his thoughts and the lingering warmth of her hand in his.

As she disappeared inside, Kel turned back to face the lagoon, his mind reeling. What had started as a plan to create distance had backfired spectacularly. He had intended to hurt her, to make his impending permanent disappearance easier on both of them. In less than 12 hours, he would be gone for good, and he had thought he was letting her off easy. He'd thought he was being kind, in a twisted sort of way.

But now, with the taste of her kiss still lingering on his lips, everything had become infinitely more complicated. The memory of their passionate embrace burned in his mind, making his chest ache with a mixture of longing and regret.

Kel ran his hands through his hair, tugging at it like he was trying to physically pull the thoughts out of his head. He wanted to scream, to yell at the universe for its cruel sense of timing. How were they supposed to survive this? The connection he'd tried so hard to sever now felt stronger than a industrial-strength super glue.

The thought of leaving her behind, knowing what they could have had, felt like trying to breathe underwater. It was a special kind of torture, the kind that makes you question every decision you've ever made.

As he stared out at the lagoon, the peaceful scene before him felt like a mocking contrast to the chaos in his heart. It was as if the universe was saying, "Look how calm everything could be if you weren't such a mess." Kel felt caught between his fate and his growing feelings for Presence, like a bug trapped between two panes of glass.

With a sigh heavy enough to sink a ship, Kel closed his eyes. He wished he could freeze this moment, to live in this limbo where possibility still existed. Because the reality waiting for them? That was a heartbreak waiting to happen, a tragedy already written.

And isn't that just the way of things? We spend so much time trying to protect ourselves and others from pain, only to find that in doing so, we've set ourselves up for an even greater fall. The heart, it seems, has a wicked sense of irony.

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