The next week felt impossible.
Not because anything happened.
Because nothing did.
No confessions.
No dramatic moments.
No lines crossed.
And somehow that felt worse.
Ava carried Noah's words with her everywhere.
"I don't regret meeting you."
The sentence replayed constantly inside her mind.
Simple.
Honest.
Dangerous.
Because she knew exactly what he meant.
And because she felt exactly the same.
The problem wasn't uncertainty anymore.
The problem was that both of them knew.
The truth existed openly now.
Waiting.
Patient.
Inevitable.
August was ending.
The realization haunted Ava.
School would start in less than two weeks.
Summer was slipping away.
Fast.
Too fast.
Every sunset felt important.
Every evening felt precious.
Every moment with Noah felt like somethin
