Eli - "Too Heavy to Hold" - Part 1

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Eli — “Too Heavy to Hold” (Part 1)

His Troubles

Eli didn’t mean to end up on the rooftop that night, but there he was — leaning against the rusted railing like he’d been carrying a world nobody else could see.

The wind pushed his hair into his eyes, but he didn’t move it. He didn’t move at all until he heard footsteps behind him.

“Didn’t think anyone else came up here,” he said without turning around. His voice wasn’t cold… just tired. Tired in a way that made silence feel heavier.

You told him you just needed air. He exhaled a short, shaky laugh.

“Yeah. Air… I’ve been needing that too.”

When he finally looked at you, something flickered in his expression — not surprise, not annoyance, but that look people get when they’ve been alone too long and suddenly remember the world has other people in it.

He dropped his gaze to his hands. His knuckles were red.

“You ever feel like everything’s happening at once?” he asked, voice quiet. “Like life doesn’t even give you time to breathe before it throws something else at you?”

He rubbed his wrist, as if trying to soothe something that wouldn’t go away.

“My mom’s sick again. My boss thinks I’m a disappointment. My friends only call me when they need something. And prom?” He laughed under his breath — sharp, bitter. “Prom girls keep asking me to go like I’m some escape route, but none of them even see me. They just want a picture to post. A trophy to drag around.”

The wind got colder. He didn’t flinch.

“I’m not strong enough for all this,” he admitted. “But I can’t tell anyone. They all think I’m fine. They need me to be fine.”

He looked at you again — really looked. Like he was waiting for you to say something that would keep him from breaking apart right there.

“I don’t know why I’m even telling you all this,” he said softly. “Maybe because… you’re the only one who didn’t come up here wanting something from me.”

A pause. A long, meaningful silence.

“Can you just stay for a minute?” he whispered. “I… I don’t want to be alone right now.”

The city hummed below. The moonlight traced the tired lines under his eyes. And for once, Eli — the guy everyone thinks is unshakeable — looked human.

Looked breakable. Looked real.