The room was still when Sienna woke up the next morning, but her mind wasn't. It played last night over and over the way Jace's voice had cracked when he confessed, the warmth of his hands when he cupped her face, the electricity in that kiss that seemed to erase the world around them.
Now, all that remained was silence.
She sat up slowly, her heart pounding like it was still caught in that moment. The curtains fluttered faintly from the breeze, scattering thin lines of sunlight across the floor. Everything felt the same, yet nothing truly was.
Her phone blinked beside her three unread messages, all from Maya.
Maya: "Tell me everything. Did he finally say it?"
Maya: "You didn't sleep with him, right??"
Maya: "Sienna, don't leave me hanging."
Sienna smiled weakly, typing and erasing her reply three times before sending a simple, "He kissed me."
A second later, her phone buzzed again. "WHAT?!? DETAILS NOW."
But Sienna didn't know where to begin. It wasn't just a kiss. It was a confession, a collision of all her fears and feelings. It was Jace breaking down walls she'd spent years building since Elijah, since Carter.
And it scared her.
She got out of bed and walked to her mirror, brushing her fingers through her messy hair. Her reflection looked unfamiliar softer somehow, like a girl who had just stepped into something she wasn't sure she was ready for.
When she arrived at school, she spotted Jace before he noticed her. He was leaning against his car, talking to someone a girl Sienna didn't recognize. Blonde, tall, all confidence and smiles.
Sienna froze for a second. That hollow ache in her chest crept back before she could push it away.
Of course. Jace Carter the one who flirts without meaning to, who could make a simple "good morning" sound like a promise.
But when he turned and saw her, his expression changed instantly. The smile faded, replaced by something quiet. His eyes searched hers, cautious, almost nervous.
"Hey," he said softly when she walked past him.
"Hey."
Awkward. That was the word. They both felt it. The air between them, once charged and electric, now felt too heavy to breathe in.
The blonde girl raised an eyebrow, glancing between them. "You didn't tell me you had company," she teased lightly.
Jace cleared his throat. "Sienna, this is Alana she's, uh, from photography class. We were just talking about the showcase next week."
Sienna forced a polite smile. "Nice to meet you."
Alana smiled back, her eyes lingering on Jace for a little too long before she walked away.
The silence that followed made Sienna's stomach twist.
"So…" Jace started. "About last night."
Her pulse quickened. "Yeah?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, his voice lower now. "I meant what I said. Every word. But if it made you uncomfortable
"It didn't," she cut in, maybe too quickly. "I just… don't know what to do with it."
He looked at her then, really looked like he was trying to read every unspoken word on her face. "You don't have to do anything," he murmured. "I just wanted you to know how I feel."
She nodded, unable to hold his gaze for too long.
By lunchtime, Sienna was a mess of thoughts. She sat under the oak tree behind the art building her little escape spot trying to sketch something that could take her mind off everything.
But every line she drew somehow turned into his face.
Her phone buzzed again, and when she saw the name on the screen, her heart nearly stopped.
Carter.
For a long minute, she couldn't move. It had been weeks since they'd spoken since that night she cried herself to sleep, trying to convince her heart that letting him go was the right choice.
She hesitated, then opened the message.
Carter: "Hey, Sienna. I've been thinking about you."
Her hands trembled slightly as she typed back.
Sienna: "You don't have to."
A minute passed. Then another message came.
Carter: "I know I don't have to. But I want to."
Sienna stared at the screen, her throat tightening. How did he still have that power over her? How did four simple words make her heart ache all over again?
She closed her phone and leaned back against the tree, eyes shut. The universe had a cruel sense of timing.
After school, Jace offered to drive her home. She almost said no, but his quiet persistence that look that said I just want to be near you made it impossible to refuse.
The ride was silent at first, the sound of the rain tapping against the windshield filling the space between them.
Sienna glanced at him. "You've been quiet."
"So have you," he replied with a faint smile.
She sighed, her fingers playing with the strap of her bag. "It's just… Carter texted me today."
Jace's hand froze on the steering wheel. "Oh."
She nodded slowly. "I didn't expect it. I don't even know how to feel."
He didn't say anything for a moment. Then quietly, "Do you still love him?"
Her heart jumped. "I don't know. Maybe a part of me always will. He was… kind to me. He made me feel seen when I needed it most. But he also left."
Jace's jaw tightened, but he nodded. "That's fair."
"Why?" she asked softly. "Does it bother you?"
He hesitated before answering. "I just don't like the idea of someone hurting you and still getting to occupy your heart."
Sienna looked out the window. "Sometimes, people don't leave your heart just because they leave your life."
His grip on the wheel loosened, and his tone softened. "Then I'll just have to make you forget him."
Her breath caught. When she turned to look at him, his eyes were already on her that same look from last night, but heavier this time, deeper.
"Jace…"
He smiled faintly. "Relax. I'm not saying it to pressure you. I just want to be the reason you smile again. Even if it's just a little."
Something inside her melted. The rain outside blurred the world into soft grays, and for a second, it felt like the car was the only safe place left.
When they reached her house, she lingered before getting out.
"Thank you," she said quietly.
"For what?"
"For not asking me to choose."
He tilted his head slightly. "I'm not your past, Sienna. I want to be your present."
Her throat tightened again too many emotions, too many things she didn't know how to say.
"Goodnight, Jace."
"Goodnight, Sienna."
She stepped out into the rain and stood there for a moment, watching him drive away. The night air was cool against her skin, but her heart was burning.
Inside, she dropped onto her bed, staring at the ceiling. Carter's message still sat unread in her mind. Jace's words echoed over it, softer but stronger.
She didn't know which one her heart was leaning toward the comfort of what she once had, or the possibility of something real, something raw and new.
For the first time in a long while, she wasn't sure what love was supposed to feel like anymore.
Was it the safety Carter once gave her… or the fire Jace had awakened in her?
And somewhere in between all that confusion she realized something else.
The next chapter of her life had already begun, and she was standing right in the middle of it.