Rea sat in Aster's dimly lit living room, her fingers curled around the hem of her sweater as the silence stretched between them. She could hear the faint hum of a TV from another room, the occasional creak of the house settling, but neither of them spoke.
Aster leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it had the answers to whatever storm was raging inside him.
Rea wasn't sure what to do.
She had spent most of her life avoiding people, avoiding situations that made her feel like she was drowning in the weight of her own fears. But sitting here, in this run-down house with Aster Westwood looking like he was carrying the world on his shoulders—she didn't want to run.
She wanted to stay.
Even if she didn't know how to fix whatever had shattered inside him.
Even if she wasn't sure she could.
Aster sighed, rubbing his face with his hands. "You shouldn't be here."
"Why?" Rea asked.
He gave her a look. "Because I don't want you involved in my mess."
Rea's fingers tightened around her sweater. "Too late."
Aster let out a low chuckle, but there was no humor in it. "Figures."
Rea hesitated before shifting forward on the couch. "Tell me about him."
Aster didn't have to ask who she meant.
He exhaled through his nose, leaning back against the couch. "Jaxon's been gone for a while. Jail. Some kind of probation. I don't know. Didn't really care to ask." His fingers drummed against his knee. "I thought he was out of my life for good."
Rea swallowed. "And now he's back."
Aster gave her a dry smile. "Yeah."
He didn't say it outright, but Rea could put the pieces together. The bruises, the way he had been missing all day, the exhaustion in his eyes.
Jaxon hadn't just come back.
He had made his presence known.
Rea clenched her fists. "What did he do?"
Aster shook his head. "Doesn't matter."
"It does matter."
Aster looked at her then, something unreadable in his gaze. "Why do you care so much?"
Rea hesitated.
She didn't have an easy answer for that.
Maybe because Aster had been the first person to make her feel seen in this town. Maybe because, despite his rough edges, he had been there when she needed someone, even when she hadn't known she needed anyone at all.
Maybe because she knew what it was like to feel alone.
And she didn't want Aster to feel that way.
Not now.
Not ever.
She exhaled. "Because I do."
Aster studied her for a long moment, like he was trying to figure out if she was lying.
Then, finally, he ran a hand through his hair and muttered, "You're a pain in the ass, new girl."
Rea smirked. "You're worse."
Aster huffed a quiet laugh.
It was small. Barely there. But it was something.
And for now, that was enough.
---
Aster drove her home as the sky turned dark, the quiet hum of the engine filling the space between them.
Rea glanced at him as he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, his expression unreadable.
She wanted to say something.
But she didn't know what.
When they pulled up to her house, Aster put the car in park but didn't move to unlock the doors.
Instead, he turned to her. "Don't tell anyone, okay?"
Rea frowned. "About Jaxon?"
He nodded. "I don't need people sticking their noses in this. Especially not—" He cut himself off, shaking his head. "Just don't."
Rea hesitated.
Then she nodded. "Okay."
Aster's shoulders relaxed slightly.
She reached for the door handle, but before she could step out, Aster spoke again.
"Rea."
She turned.
He was watching her, something unreadable in his gaze.
"Thanks," he said quietly.
For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
Then she nodded, slipping out of the car and closing the door behind her.
As Aster drove away, she stood there, watching his taillights disappear into the night.
Something inside her told her this wasn't over.
Not by a long shot.