Evelyn didn't sleep.
Not because she couldn't.
Because she didn't want to.
The night air outside the Academy was sharp, tinged with the smell of burnt magic and rain-soaked earth. She walked the outer path near the garden wall, her fingers trailing against the ivy-covered stone. Her thoughts were too loud in her skull—Alexander's voice echoing louder than the quiet ever could.
"I'll always be there… even if I'm not standing beside you."
The words were both a promise and a goodbye.
She didn't know which one she feared more.
"Couldn't sleep either?"
The familiar voice made her spin.
Caelan stood a few paces away, hands in his coat pockets, eyes softer than usual. The moonlight turned the gold in his hair almost white, and something about him looked older tonight. Calmer.
"No," Evelyn admitted. "You?"
He shrugged. "It's hard to rest when everything feels like it's breaking apart."
She gave a hollow smile. "You always knew how to find me when I was unraveling."
He stepped closer. "Maybe because I remember what you looked like before you had to be strong."
Evelyn stilled.
Caelan didn't touch her. He didn't move further. But his words found her anyway.
"I saw him with you," he added quietly. "Alexander."
She didn't respond.
"He's… not what I expected. Cold. Calculating. But when he looks at you—" Caelan's voice faltered. "When he looks at you, I almost understand him."
Evelyn turned to face him fully, eyes searching his.
"What are you saying?"
"That I came here for a thousand reasons. To protect you. To see the girl I used to know. Maybe even… to hope."
A pause. He looked away.
"But I think I was too late. Not because you owe him anything, Evelyn. But because your heart already decided."
Evelyn's breath caught.
"I needed to hear it from you," Caelan said softly. "Not for closure. For clarity."
She stepped toward him, slow but sure.
"You matter to me," she said gently. "More than you know. But he… he makes me feel like I can be me, even when I don't know who that is."
Caelan smiled—a bittersweet curve of his lips.
"Then I'll be the one who reminds you of who you were… while he helps you become who you're meant to be."
And in that moment, Evelyn realized that some loves weren't meant to be romantic. Some were anchors.
And others… were wings.