-Vaughn Blackmore:
I'm sitting on the edge of my bed when the door finally opens.
Darien walks in without knocking properly, like he already knows I won't care. He shuts the door behind him slower than usual, and the first thing he does is look at me properly—not casually, not half-focused, but fully.
His brows knit slightly.
"Hey," he says. "What was that out there? You okay?"
I don't look up right away. My hands are loosely resting between my knees, still carrying the tension from earlier that I haven't managed to shake off yet.
"I'm fine," I say. Too fast. Too flat. I stand slightly as I can just move out of the conversation instead of answering it. "Just… go back to the cafeteria."
Darien doesn't move.
That's what makes me stop.
He just stands there, watching me for a second, then shakes his head once.
"No," he says simply. "I'm not going back without you."
That hits differently.
Not loud. Not emotional.
Just… real.
