The drive back to campus was chilling, suffocating, and extremely awkward.
Aaron had tried to explain, his deep voice thick with an unfamiliar desperation as he moved closer to me in the bedroom. But I had cut him off instantly, raising a trembling hand to block him, my voice flat and lifeless as I insisted that I was tired and just wanted to sleep.
His jaw had clenched so hard I thought his teeth might shatter. He looked deeply reluctant, a turbulent storm raging in his eyes, but after a moment for consideration, he respected my boundary. He backed away, stepping out of the room and closing the door softly behind him, giving me space to clear my head.
I didn't clear my head. I just sat there in the dark, staring blankly out the window for what felt like hours, watching the faint gray
