~Jaden~
He hadn't told anyone where he was going after ending it with Brielle. He needed time, space and her.
He found Lily at the greenhouse behind the school, the one spot no one really went except for science projects or solitude. She was watering the small potted succulents lined along the glass shelf, sunlight dappling her hair, her shoulders tense.
She heard him before she saw him and didn't turn around.
"I'm not in the mood for another half-apology," she said, voice flat.
Jaden stepped inside, letting the door click quietly behind him. "It's not an apology."
She turned then, face unreadable, arms crossed.
"I broke up with Brielle."
Lily blinked. "You what?"
"I ended it," he said. "Earlier today. She cried. I felt like shit. But it had to be done."
Lily leaned back against the shelf. "So what now? You show up here and expect me to just—what? Thank you?"
"No," he said quickly. "I don't expect anything. I just needed you to know. Because I haven't stopped thinking about you. About us. About that night."
Lily's jaw tightened. "You mean the night you kissed me without warning, then ran away?"
He stepped closer. "I didn't run away. I froze. I've never been more scared in my life."
"Of what?"
"You," he said without hesitation. "Of how you made everything feel different. Of what I'd have to give up to be honest about it."
Lily was silent.
Jaden stepped closer again. "I'm not confused anymore. And I'm not drunk. I know what I want."
Her eyes searched his, looking for the cracks, the doubt but it wasn't there. Not anymore.
"I want you," he said, voice low.
Lily's breath hitched. "This isn't a rebound, Jaden. I'm not a way out."
"You're not," he whispered. "You're the first real thing I've wanted in a long time."
He was close now. Inches away. She could smell his cologne, feel the heat coming off his skin. Her heart raced.
"I'm scared," she admitted, voice trembling. "Because if you change your mind, I don't know if I'll bounce back."
"I'm not changing my mind," he said, eyes locked on hers. "But I'll wait. I'll prove it."
He lifted a hand and gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. Her breath caught.
Then his fingers trailed down her jawline.
She didn't stop him.
When his lips brushed hers, it was slow, cautious, like asking a question.
She answered it.
The kiss deepened, heat rising fast, her hands sliding into his hoodie, his fingers gripping her waist.
Her back hit the glass wall as he pressed into her, their bodies molding together in a rush of unspoken need. She gasped softly as his lips moved down her neck, his hands roaming like they'd been waiting forever to touch her.
"Jaden," she whispered, "we should stop…"
But she didn't move.
"I know," he said against her skin. "But I don't want to."
His hand slid under her shirt, just to feel her skin. She trembled beneath his touch.
She wanted him. God, she wanted him.
But something pulled her back, a flash of her mom's voice, of that weird talk about vigilance, of Mia's eyes at the party.
She placed her hands on his chest, gently pushing. "Not here."
Jaden breathed hard, forehead pressed to hers. "Okay. Okay."
They stood like that, hearts racing, skin flushed, the silence heavy but not regretful.
Lily finally looked up. "This can't be just heat, Jaden."
He nodded. "It's not. I swear."
She smiled faintly. "Then prove it tomorrow. With words. Not hands."
He grinned, breathless. "Challenge accepted."
~Jaden *Flashback * ~
He waited until after school.
Brielle had just finished cheer practice and was tugging off her hoodie when he found her near the parking lot. She smiled like nothing was wrong like everything was still perfectly in place.
That smile used to be enough to pull him in.
Now, it just made him feel tired.
"You're early," she said, tossing her bag in the back seat of her car. "Didn't think you'd skip the gym."
"I needed to talk to you," he said, not meeting her eyes.
Brielle paused, one brow arching. "Okay…?"
"Can we sit? Just for a minute."
Her smile slipped a little, but she didn't say no. They sat on the low stone wall beside the sports field. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows on the grass.
"I've been thinking," Jaden began. "About us."
Brielle immediately tensed. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I don't think this is working anymore."
She scoffed. "Seriously, Jaden? You're doing this now?"
"I'm not doing anything now. This has been building for a while, Brielle. You know that."
"No," she snapped, standing up. "What I know is we've been together for two years, and suddenly you're acting different. Distant. Cold. And now you're breaking up with me like it's a math equation?"
He stood too. "You treat me like I'm yours to control. Like I'm supposed to play a part, smile when you want, shut up when you're in a mood, pretend we're still good even when we haven't been for months."
"Don't you dare blame this on me."
"I'm not blaming you," he said, voice calm but firm. "I'm just saying the truth. We've been broken for a long time. We just didn't want to admit it."
Brielle's eyes narrowed. "Is this about her?"
He didn't answer right away.
That told her everything.
"Oh my God," she laughed bitterly. "It is about her. The new girl. The one who follows Ezra around like a lost puppy. Lily, right?"
"It's not about her," Jaden said. "It's about me. I'm not the guy I was when we started dating. And I think you knew that before I did."
Brielle folded her arms, expression venomous. "So what now? You just walk away like none of it mattered?"
He shook his head. "It mattered. But holding on just because we're used to each other isn't love. It's comfort. It's fear."
She was quiet for a moment.
Then: "You'll regret this."
"I already regret staying this long," he said softly.
That stung he saw it in her face. But he didn't take it back.
Brielle picked up her bag with a sharp movement and started toward her car. "You're pathetic. You'll run to her now, like she's going to save you from the mess you made."
He didn't respond.
She turned one last time, eyes full of fury. "She's not me. And she never will be."
Jaden let her go.
He stood there long after the sound of her tires disappeared down the road, heart pounding, fists clenched.
It was over.
It hurt.
But it was finally done.
————————
~Jaden~
The next morning, he didn't sleep in.
He couldn't.
Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her pressed against him in that greenhouse, her skin warm, her voice trembling as she whispered wait.
Then prove it tomorrow. With words. Not hands.
He kept replaying that. Over and over.
Jaden had never been great with words. With Brielle, everything was always performative Instagram captions, inside jokes, grand gestures. But this? With Lily?
It felt quieter. Like something that didn't need to be posted or paraded. It needed to be felt.
So he wrote.
He found an old notebook at the back of his closet, tore out a clean page, and started scribbling. Crossed things out. Rewrote. Sat with it. Wrote more.
When he finally showed up at her door just after noon, Lily looked surprised.
She was in sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, her brown hair pulled into a loose bun, no makeup.
She looked perfect.
"You came," she said softly, stepping outside, pulling the door shut behind her.
"You told me to," he said, holding up the folded paper. "And I told you I would."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's a letter."
"It's a mess," he admitted. "But it's mine. And it's real."
He handed it to her.
She didn't open it right away. She just stared at him.
"Are you going to stand there while I read it?" she asked.
"I can leave, if that's better."
"No," she said quickly. "Stay."
She leaned against the porch railing, unfolded the paper, and began to read.
⸻
~Lily~
Lily,
I don't know when everything changed. Maybe it was the second I saw you, standing in the kitchen, looking completely lost and also completely unbothered by it. Maybe it was when you laughed that night on the couch, feet tucked under you like you'd lived there forever.
Or maybe it was when I kissed you and realized I was never going to forget the way you felt in my arms, even if I tried.
I've messed up. I know that. I was too slow. Too unsure. I thought being with Brielle was safer because it was familiar. But you made me realize safe isn't the same as happy.
You don't need me to fix you, and I don't need you to save me. But I think we could build something together that's different than anything either of us has had.
If you want that.
If you want me.
Jaden
⸻
Lily folded the paper carefully, her hands still for a long second.
He was watching her like he couldn't breathe.
She didn't say anything at first.
Then she whispered, "I think I want to try."
He stepped closer. "Really?"
She nodded. "But slow. No more greenhouse tables, okay?"
Jaden laughed, the relief written all over his face. "No more greenhouse tables. I promise."
She smiled, sliding the note into her hoodie pocket. "That was really good. The letter."
He leaned in, not kissing her, just resting his forehead lightly against hers. "Thanks. I meant every word."
~Lily~
Dinner was homemade lasagna, garlic bread, and a long table filled with the kind of casual chaos that came with a blended family trying to find its rhythm.
Her mom laughed at something Dan said about Swedish driving habits. Ezra and Mia were sharing a plate and some inside joke about their old chemistry teacher. Jaden was across from her.
And she could feel his eyes on her.
It was soft, not obvious just little glances, little moments of pause when she wasn't even speaking. His foot lightly brushed hers under the table once, then didn't move. She didn't either.
Ezra noticed.
He didn't say anything at first. Just narrowed his eyes slightly and looked between the two of them. The shift in Jaden's energy. The way Lily smiled at her plate when no one was talking to her.
He knew something.
Later, as the table cleared and people dispersed into side conversations and dessert, Lily felt the tap on her shoulder.
Her mom.
"Can I steal you for a second?"
They walked into the hallway near the front door, away from the chatter. Her mom's voice was calm, but firm. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Lily said immediately, too quickly.
Her mom gave her a knowing look. "You've looked flushed all evening."
Lily shrugged, arms crossed. "It's warm in there."
Her mom tilted her head. "Are you and Jaden… is there something going on?"
There it was. No hesitation.
Lily's breath caught in her chest. "No. Not really."
"'Not really' isn't a no," her mom said gently. "Lily, I'm not trying to pry. I just want you to be careful. He just got out of a relationship. You're still adjusting. It's a lot."
"I know," Lily said softly. "I'm not doing anything reckless."
Her mom looked at her for a long moment, then nodded. "Okay. I trust you."
That was the hardest part because Lily didn't know if she trusted herself right now.
~Ezra~
He cornered Jaden in the kitchen.
"You good?" Ezra asked, casual, like he wasn't already piecing things together.
Jaden wiped his hands on a dish towel. "Yeah. Why?"
"You've been looking at her like you're two seconds from writing poetry."
Jaden smirked. "You're exaggerating."
Ezra stepped back, jaw tight. "You know how complicated this could get, right?"
"I know."
"And you're still doing it?"
Jaden's voice was quiet, but steady. "Yeah. I am."
Ezra sighed. "You better be sure. Because if you hurt her…"
"I won't," Jaden cut in. "I swear. I'd never."
Ezra didn't respond right away.
Then finally: "Just… don't be dumb."