Rea didn't let go.
Neither did Aster.
His fingers were rough against hers, calloused and warm, his grip firm but hesitant—like he wasn't used to being held by anyone.
Like he didn't quite believe she was real.
She squeezed his hand again, just to remind him that she was.
Aster let out a slow breath, his eyes flickering up to meet hers. Something unreadable swirled behind them—something cautious, something tired, something vulnerable.
Rea had never seen him look vulnerable before.
It made her chest ache.
But before she could say anything, before she could even think about what she was doing, Aster suddenly pulled back.
The warmth of his hand disappeared, leaving hers cold in the open air.
He ran a hand through his hair, exhaling. "Rea..."
"I'm not going anywhere," she said softly.
Aster's jaw tightened. "You should."
"I won't."
He let out a short, bitter laugh, shaking his head. "God, you're stubborn."
Rea shrugged. "You're worse."
Aster huffed, looking down at his tray. He stabbed a fry with his fork but didn't eat it, spinning it between his fingers. "You don't get it."
"Then explain it to me," she said.
He shook his head. "It's not that simple."
Rea pressed her lips together.
Aster was shutting down. She could feel it.
The walls were going up again, the same ones he had let crack just a little last night, just enough for her to see through.
And she didn't know how to stop him from rebuilding them.
Didn't know how to make him trust her.
But she wanted to.
More than anything.
The lunch bell rang before she could say anything else.
Aster pushed his tray aside and stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "See you around, new girl."
It wasn't said with his usual smirk.
It wasn't teasing or cocky or careless.
It was distant. Final.
Like he was trying to draw a line between them.
Rea hated it.
But she didn't stop him as he walked away.
She just sat there, staring at the empty space he left behind.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt helpless.
---
Rea didn't see Aster for the rest of the day.
She barely heard a word in her last few classes, her mind too full of him.
Of the way he had looked at her.
Of the way he had pulled away.
Elena caught up to her as they walked out of school, Milo trailing behind them. "Okay, seriously, what's up with you?"
Rea blinked. "What?"
"You're acting weird," Elena said. "Even for you."
Rea hesitated.
Then she sighed. "It's Aster."
Elena groaned. "Of course it's Aster."
Milo raised an eyebrow. "What did he do now?"
Rea shook her head. "It's not what he did. It's... I don't know." She exhaled. "I feel like he's shutting me out."
Elena crossed her arms. "Newsflash, Rea—he does that. It's his thing."
"Yeah, but—"
"But nothing." Elena sighed. "Look, I get it. You care about him. For some reason."
Rea glared.
Elena smirked. "But you can't force him to let you in. He has to do that on his own."
Rea swallowed.
She knew Elena was right.
But she hated it.
She hated sitting back. Hated waiting.
Because something told her Aster didn't have time to figure things out on his own.
Something told her Jaxon wouldn't let him.
And that thought made her stomach twist.
Milo frowned. "Do you think he's okay?"
Rea hesitated.
Then she shook her head.
"No."
---
That night, she couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned, staring at the ceiling, Aster's voice looping in her head—
"You should stay out of this."
"See you around, new girl."
Like he was pushing her away.
Like he was preparing for something.
Something bad.
Rea clenched her jaw and threw off her blanket, reaching for her phone.
She hovered over Aster's name in her contacts, her thumb hesitating over the screen.
She had never texted him before.
They weren't those kinds of friends.
But maybe they could be.
Maybe they should be.
Before she could overthink it, she typed out a message.
Rea: Are you okay?
She hit send before she could regret it.
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Then—
Three dots appeared on the screen.
Her breath caught.
But before the message could come through—
The dots disappeared.
And nothing else came.
Rea's heart sank.
She stared at her phone for a long time, waiting.
Hoping.
But Aster never texted back.
And that told her everything she needed to know.
Something was wrong.
And she wasn't going to sit back and do nothing.
Not this time.
Rea pushed herself out of bed, the glow of her phone screen still burning in her mind. Aster hadn't texted back.
Something about that made her stomach twist uncomfortably.
She grabbed a hoodie from the chair by her desk, slipping it on as she padded down the hall. The house was quiet, except for the faint murmur of the TV from the living room. Her parents were still awake.
Great.
She hesitated at the top of the stairs, exhaling slowly. She could just sneak out. She'd done it before—back home, when the walls of their old house had felt too tight, when the pressure of existing had been too much.
But this wasn't home.
And if her parents caught her—
She shook the thought away. She'd deal with it if it happened.
Taking a deep breath, she made her way down the stairs, keeping her steps light.
The glow of the TV flickered across the living room walls, shadows moving as her parents sat together on the couch. Her dad had an arm draped over the back of it, his face half-lit by the screen, while her mom was curled up with a blanket, a cup of tea balanced on her knee.
It was one of those domestic, normal moments that she had never quite figured out how to fit into.
And tonight, she didn't have time to try.
She took another step toward the door—
"Rea?"
She froze.
Her mom turned, narrowing her eyes. "Where are you going?"
Her dad muted the TV, glancing over. "It's late."
Rea swallowed, fingers curling into her hoodie sleeves. "Just... out."
Her mom frowned. "Out?"
Her dad sat up straighter. "Out where?"
Rea hesitated. She wasn't a good liar, but she didn't want to lie.
Still, saying I think my maybe-friend, maybe-more-than-friend is in trouble, and I need to check on him wasn't exactly going to go over well.
She opted for a half-truth. "I just need some air."
Her mom sighed, rubbing her temples. "Rea, it's almost midnight."
Her dad's expression hardened. "You can get air in the morning."
Rea clenched her jaw. "I won't be long."
Her mom shook her head. "No. You're not going anywhere this late."
Rea's fingers curled tighter.
They didn't get it.
They never had.
She needed to go.
Aster was out there, probably alone, probably hurting, and she—
"Rea."
Her dad's voice was firmer now.
"Look," he said, standing up. "I know it's hard. The move, the new school, all of it. And I know you like your space. But this isn't just about you."
Rea's stomach twisted.
Her mom softened slightly. "We worry about you, honey."
Rea looked away. "I'm fine."
Her mom sighed. "You always say that."
Rea bit the inside of her cheek.
She was fine.
Or, at least, she had been—until Aster started pushing her away.
Until she started caring too much.
Her dad studied her for a moment. "Is this about that boy?"
Rea's head snapped up.
Her mom blinked. "What boy?"
Her dad crossed his arms. "The one you sit with at lunch sometimes. Westwood."
Rea's throat went dry.
They noticed?
She hadn't thought they paid enough attention to pick up on things like that.
Her mom's eyebrows furrowed. "Is he why you want to go out?"
Rea hesitated.
Then, quietly, "I think something's wrong."
Her mom frowned. "What do you mean?"
Rea exhaled, debating how much to say.
"He's... been dealing with stuff," she said. "Family stuff." She swallowed. "And I don't think he's okay."
Her parents exchanged a look.
Her dad sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. "Rea, I get it. You want to help. But you can't fix everything."
Rea's chest tightened.
"I know that," she said.
Her dad's gaze softened. "Then you need to let him handle it."
Rea clenched her fists. "But what if he can't?"
Neither of them had an answer for that.
She looked between them, searching for some kind of compromise.
Her mom was still watching her closely, a crease between her brows. "Is he in danger?"
Rea hesitated.
She wanted to say no.
But she didn't know if that was true.
Her silence was enough.
Her dad sighed again, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'll tell you what—" He glanced at the clock. "It's late. If you still think something's wrong in the morning, I'll drive you to check on him."
Rea's stomach sank.
Morning might be too late.
But she could tell from his tone that there was no arguing.
Her mom gave her a small, tired smile. "Get some sleep, sweetheart."
Rea swallowed the lump in her throat.
She wanted to scream.
To demand that they listen.
But she knew that wouldn't get her anywhere.
So instead, she nodded.
She turned back toward the stairs, her feet heavy, her chest tight.
And as she climbed back to her room, she pulled out her phone one more time, staring at Aster's unread message.
She had never felt more powerless in her life.