The night air was colder than usual. A faint breeze brushed through the streets as Aoi walked home, clutching the strap of her school bag tightly.
Her mind replayed the scene from earlier — Ren's eyes, the way he listened to her, the calmness in his voice that somehow made her chest ache.
She hadn't meant to go see him. It just… happened.
And now that she'd seen him again, she couldn't stop thinking about how easy it had felt — how natural it still was between them despite everything.
Kaito was kind. He cared about her. But when he hugged her, she didn't feel safe the way she did when Ren simply looked at her.
That realization scared her more than anything.
---
Ren, meanwhile, sat alone in his small room, staring at his phone screen. No new messages. Miyu had texted earlier — "Get home safe." — but he hadn't replied yet.
He wanted to.
But he didn't know what to say.
His thoughts kept drifting back to Aoi.
Her voice. Her eyes. The quiet way she said his name.
He had thought he was over it — over her — but seeing her again had torn open something he'd tried to bury.
And now that it was open, he couldn't close it anymore.
---
The next few days felt strange.
Aoi and Ren went back to pretending nothing had happened. But both knew something had changed.
In class, their eyes met more often than before — just quick, fleeting glances. But even that was enough to stir the tension between them.
Aoi noticed how Ren laughed a little too easily around Miyu now, like he was trying to prove something.
And Ren noticed how Aoi smiled a little too brightly whenever Kaito was around, her laughter ringing a bit louder than usual.
Both were pretending to be fine.
Both were failing miserably.
---
Then came Friday — the day everything quietly fell apart.
It started with a small argument between Aoi and Kaito.
He had asked her to come over that evening — said he wanted her to meet his parents. It was supposed to be a big step in their relationship.
But Aoi hesitated.
"Kaito, I… I don't think I'm ready for that."
His expression faltered. "Not ready? Why?"
"I just— I don't want to rush things."
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Aoi, it's been months. It's not like I'm asking you to move in or something. They just want to meet you."
"I know, but…"
He looked at her, frustration flickering in his eyes. "You're always holding back. I try to get closer to you, but it feels like there's this wall I can't break."
Aoi lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry."
"That's the thing," he said, his voice trembling slightly. "You're always sorry. But you never change."
The words stung.
She wanted to tell him he was right — that no matter how much she tried, her heart just wouldn't open the way he wanted it to.
But instead, she whispered, "Maybe I'm not who you think I am."
Kaito's expression softened for a moment, then hardened again. "You're right. Maybe you're not."
He walked away before she could say another word.
---
Aoi spent that evening alone in her room, her chest heavy with guilt.
She knew she had hurt him — and she hated herself for it.
But beneath that guilt was another feeling, one she didn't want to admit even to herself.
Relief.
Relief that she didn't have to pretend for a little while.
Her phone buzzed on the desk. For a brief second, she thought it might be Kaito. But when she saw the name, her breath caught.
Ren:
Hey. You outside?
She blinked. Then, without thinking, she grabbed her jacket and went out.
---
The night was quiet. The streets were empty except for the soft hum of streetlights and the sound of Ren's footsteps approaching from the opposite side.
He stopped when he saw her, his breath forming faint clouds in the cool air.
"You came."
"You texted," she replied softly.
They stood in silence for a moment, the distance between them filled with everything they hadn't said.
Ren finally spoke. "Kaito called me earlier. Said you two had a fight."
Aoi looked down. "He told you that?"
"Yeah. He was upset."
"I know."
Ren hesitated, then asked quietly, "You okay?"
She laughed weakly. "I keep saying I'm fine lately. I don't think I even know what that means anymore."
He wanted to reach out, but he didn't. Instead, he said, "You should talk to him tomorrow."
Aoi nodded slowly. "Maybe." Then, after a pause, she added, "You always say the right things, Ren. It's annoying."
He smiled faintly. "You used to like that about me."
"I still do," she said before she could stop herself.
Her words hung in the air, fragile and dangerous.
Ren looked at her — really looked — and for the first time in months, he saw the girl he'd fallen for. The one who used to follow him around after school, who used to smile at him for no reason, who'd once confessed under the rooftop sky with trembling hands.
And suddenly, standing this close to her again, all his restraint began to crumble.
Aoi took a step closer, her voice barely a whisper. "Ren…"
He swallowed hard. "We shouldn't—"
"I know."
But neither moved away.
Her eyes glistened beneath the streetlight. She looked fragile, heartbroken, and beautiful all at once.
And before either could think — before guilt or logic could interfere — their lips met.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't planned.
It was desperate, aching, full of everything they'd tried to hide.
Aoi's hands trembled as they clutched the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him closer. Ren's heart pounded against his chest as if to remind him this was wrong, that he was crossing a line he couldn't uncross.
But in that moment, nothing else mattered.
When they finally pulled apart, breathing hard, Aoi's eyes were filled with tears.
"Ren…"
He looked away, guilt and longing crashing inside him. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," she whispered, shaking her head. "Just… don't say it was a mistake."
He met her gaze, and for the first time, he couldn't lie.
"It wasn't."
---
That night, neither of them slept.
Ren lay in bed staring at the ceiling, his mind replaying the kiss over and over. He thought of Miyu — how kind she was, how undeserving she was of what he'd just done.
Aoi sat by her window, tracing her fingers over her lips, still feeling the warmth of him there.
She knew she had crossed a line too — that she had betrayed Kaito's trust.
But she couldn't bring herself to regret it. Not yet.
Because for the first time in a long time, she had felt something real.
Something she couldn't let go of anymore.