Aiden stayed a respectful distance away, blending into the quiet night. The pier groaned softly beneath them with each push of the waves, and Maylen could feel him watching her from the corner of his eye even though he kept his body still.
“Why did you come?” Maylen finally whispered.
Aiden didn’t rush to answer. He took a slow breath, as if weighing his honesty.
“Because you looked like you were breaking,” he said softly. “And I couldn’t sit with that.”
The words slipped into her like warm water against cold skin. Her shoulders loosened slightly.
“But I also came,” he added quietly, “because Lanry would’ve run after you if I didn’t stop him.”
That made her chest twist again. “He… he stayed?”
Aiden nodded. “He stayed exactly where you left him. I think he’s still there.”
A wave of
