Chapter 25: The Moment That Gave Them Away
(Ethan & Riley – A Slip, A Realization, and an Unwanted Audience)
Ethan – Present
They had been walking in silence for almost an hour.
The storm had passed, but the ground was still muddy, and the cold air lingered in his bones.
Ethan was grateful for the silence.
Because last night?
Last night had been too much.
Riley's words still sat in his chest, heavy and impossible to ignore.
"Do you ever get tired of pretending?"
"Do you ever miss it?"
Yes.
God, yes.
But that wasn't the answer he could give her.
So he stayed quiet.
Because if he said one wrong thing, everything would fall apart.
And Ethan couldn't afford that.
Riley – Present
The walk back to camp felt longer than the walk into the woods.
Not because they were lost.
Not because she was cold.
But because she could feel the weight of last night hanging between them.
Because she knew—deep down, in her bones—that Ethan had almost said something real.
And now?
Now, he was running from it.
Again.
Riley exhaled.
"Are we going to talk about it?"
Ethan didn't look at her. "No."
She sighed. "Of course not."
They walked a few more steps, the leaves crunching beneath their feet, the air thick with everything unsaid.
Then—
Riley slipped.
The ground was still wet from the storm, and before she could stop herself, her foot slid on the mud, her balance tilting too fast.
"Crap—"
Ethan caught her.
Again.
One arm around her waist, the other gripping her wrist.
And suddenly, they were way too close.
Riley's breath caught.
Ethan exhaled sharply, his hands tightening before he could stop himself.
Their eyes met.
And for a moment—just a second—neither of them moved.
The air shifted.
The cold didn't feel so cold anymore.
And then—
Ethan let go.
Too fast.
Like touching her hurt.
Like he was afraid.
And that?
That was when he slipped.
Because instead of stepping back, instead of keeping his mouth shut, he muttered under his breath—
You always do this.
Riley blinked. "What?"
Ethan clenched his jaw, like he hadn't meant to say that out loud.
But it was too late.
Riley had heard it.
And worse?
Riley understood it.
Because she knew exactly what he meant.
You always do this.
You always get too close.
You always make me think you care.
You always pull me back in.
Riley's heart slammed against her ribs.
Because for the first time, she saw it.
Really saw it.
Ethan wasn't indifferent.
He never had been.
And maybe?
Maybe she had spent the last two years convincing herself of a lie.
Maybe Ethan Hayes had never stopped caring.
Not even for a second.
"THERE YOU ARE!"
Ethan and Riley jerked apart.
Noah and Jason were standing at the edge of the clearing, completely drenched, covered in mud, and looking like they had just trekked through hell.
Riley's stomach dropped.
Jason.
Her boyfriend.
Her boyfriend, who had just walked in on her standing way too close to her ex-best friend, looking at him like he was the only person who had ever made sense.
Ethan stepped back immediately, shoving his hands into his pockets, his face blank again.
But Riley?
Riley wasn't fast enough.
Because Jason's eyes were sharp.
Because Jason had seen it.
And Riley?
Riley had no idea how to explain something she didn't even understand herself.