The plane had barely cooled on the runway before Aiden was already thinking of Noah.
Not the city.
Not the exhaustion.
Not even his father resting under layers of hospital sheets and soft beeping machines.
Just Noah.
The drive from the airport was smooth, almost too smooth, the engine of his black BMW M-series humming steadily beneath him. The car was new—sleek, sharp lines catching the evening light—but Aiden barely noticed. His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel as his phone buzzed on the seat beside him.
He didn’t call.
He sent a message.
I’m outside.
Short. Simple. Loaded with meaning.
Inside the school, Noah’s phone vibrated just as the teacher turned to write on the board.
His heart skipped.
He glanced down.
Aiden.
For a moment, everything else faded—t
