Page 24 of Rhys: and the girl who was always his

“Please just give me some time to wrap my head around it all,” I whisper.

He opens his mouth. Closes it. Steps back.

In a flash, the moment was over.

We finish our water, but I’m not sure either of us tastes it.

“You know,” I say, trying to fill the silence, “this house gets too quiet sometimes.”

“It’s never quiet when Arden is awake,” he mutters.

I smile, a little weakly. “I mean emotionally quiet. Like everyone knows something's brewing, but no one wants to be the one to call it out.”

Rhys exhales, leaning his head back against the cabinet. “Yeah. That tracks.”

“They all know.”

“I know.”

I glance down at my glass.

“So why are we still pretending?” he asks.

I don’t answer right away, and when I do, my voice is lower and more vulnerable. “Because once we stop pretending, there’s no going back.”

I step towards him. Just a little. The need to close the gap consuming me, the tension sparks again.

“Maybe I don’t want to go back,” he says, and I hear the honesty in his tone.

I’m unsure how to reply.

I laugh, but there’s no humour in it. “Rhys, we’ve been orbiting each other for years. What if the gravity changes and we crash?”

“What if we don't? What if it finally feels like home?” Rhys looks at me as though he’s never seen me before. Or maybe for the hundredth time, but finally letting himself believe it matters.

“Come outside,” he says suddenly.

I blink. "It’s freezing."

“Bring a blanket. Just trust me.”

So, I do.

We grab a couple of throw blankets and creep out to the back patio, the night air crisp against our skin. The stars are shockingly clear, and the quiet hum of distant traffic mixes with the gentle rustle of trees.

We sit side by side on the outdoor lounge, blanket draped over our legs. The closeness is too intimate for casual but not quite close enough to be a confession.

“When I think about the future,” Rhys says quietly, “I see you there.”

My breath hitches.

“Even when I tried not to,” he continues. “Even when I thought it wasn’t allowed. You were always... there.”

My fingers tighten around the blanket's edge. “Then why did you never say anything?”

“Because I was afraid. And because I thought you deserved better. I didn’t know how to tell you the truth about Ashley, it wasn’t until Yasmin asked that about her that night that I blurted out everything I was hiding.”

I turn my face towards him. “Stop doing that.”

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