The idea came to them in the morning, unspoken but mutual.
Aster didn't say it outright, and Rea didn't either, but there was something heavy between them—something they both wanted to escape from, even if just for a little while.
So, when Rea found herself staring at her phone, looking at the message from her parents, the weight of responsibility pressing against her chest, she turned to Aster and said, "Let's get out of here."
Aster, who had been sitting on the couch flipping a coin between his fingers, raised a brow. "Define 'out.'"
Rea shrugged. "I don't know. Just… somewhere that isn't here."
Aster studied her for a second before his lips curled into a smirk. "Alright, Jones. Let's do something fun."
She frowned. "Fun?"
"Yeah, you know, that thing people do when they're not drowning in existential dread."
Rea rolled her eyes. "And what exactly do you consider fun?"
Aster leaned back, tossing the coin into the air and catching it smoothly. "How do you feel about roller coasters?"
—
The amusement park was loud.
Colorful banners waved in the wind, the air thick with the scent of popcorn, fried food, and cotton candy. People rushed past them, laughter and chatter blending into a chaotic symphony.
It should have overwhelmed Rea.
Maybe a few weeks ago, it would have.
But now, standing next to Aster as he stretched his arms over his head, scanning the park with an easy grin, it didn't feel so bad.
"So," Aster said, nudging her lightly with his elbow, "what's first? Something easy, or are we diving straight into the deep end?"
Rea glanced at the towering roller coaster in the distance, the tracks twisting and turning in impossible loops.
Her stomach flipped.
Aster followed her gaze and smirked. "What's the matter? Scared?"
Rea scoffed. "Obviously not."
"Then let's go."
Rea opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, Aster grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the line.
Her heart jumped at the sudden contact, but she didn't pull away.
She wasn't sure she wanted to.
—
Rea regretted everything.
She clutched the safety bar, heart hammering against her ribs as the ride slowly ascended. The ground shrank below them, people turning into tiny dots.
"This was a mistake," she muttered.
Aster, sitting beside her, was grinning like a madman. "Too late now."
The roller coaster reached the peak.
Rea barely had a second to brace herself before they plunged downward.
Wind roared past her ears as they shot through loops, twists, and sharp drops. She squeezed her eyes shut, the rush of adrenaline making her feel weightless.
Somewhere beside her, Aster was laughing.
Not the amused, sarcastic chuckle she was used to, but something real. Loud. Unrestrained.
When the ride finally screeched to a stop, Rea's legs felt like jelly.
Aster hopped off like it was nothing, turning to smirk at her. "You alive, Jones?"
Rea shot him a glare, but she couldn't deny the strange exhilaration buzzing under her skin.
Maybe that was the point.
Maybe she needed this.
—
They spent the rest of the day running from ride to ride, stuffing their faces with junk food, and playing rigged carnival games.
Aster won her a stuffed bear at one of the booths, grinning smugly as he handed it to her. "To remember me by when I finally make my great escape."
Rea snorted, clutching the bear. "You're so dramatic."
Aster placed a hand over his chest. "You wound me, Jones."
Rea rolled her eyes but smiled anyway.
For the first time in what felt like forever, she wasn't thinking about her parents, or Aster's father, or the mess of emotions tangled between them.
For today, it was just them.
And that was enough.