The Tuesday morning sun was way too bright for the kind of night Miles had lived through. His eyes burned as he shoved on his hoodie, the faint scent of Leia's vanilla shampoo still lingering on his sleeve like a memory he wasn't ready to give up.
They hadn't talked much after the party-not about what the kiss meant, not about what came next. Just quiet smiles. A forehead kiss goodbye. And then nothing but unread messages from both their friends blowing up his phone.
Now here he was, dragging himself up the steps to school with a stomach full of nerves and a brain running through a hundred versions of how this day could go. People had seen them. That much was obvious.
"Miles!"
He didn't even have time to respond before Mason clapped him on the back like they were in some bad teen comedy. "Dude. Party legend. You and Leia, huh?"
Miles blinked at him. "What are you talking about?"
"Oh come on. Everyone saw you follow her upstairs. Half the party's convinced you finally smashed."
Miles's jaw clenched. "That's not what happened."
Mason raised his hands. "Okay, okay. No judgment. Just saying… you might wanna get ready for a bit of a storm. Cleo's been talking. A lot."
Just great. He pushed open the doors to the main building and immediately felt it-the sideways glances, the half-stifled whispers. His stomach dropped.
Leia stood frozen outside the school bathrooms, her phone still in her hand, heart hammering after seeing Cleo's latest story. A blurry picture. Her and Miles walking out of the party. The caption: "some girls don't care if he was yours first lol."
She hated that her first instinct wasn't anger. It was shame. Like she had done something wrong.
Ashley had already told her there were rumours flying. That Cleo had been going around telling anyone who'd listen that Miles had been playing both of them. That he was a heartbreaker, and Leia was just another name on a list.
Except he wasn't. Not to her.
She didn't even want to walk to her locker. She felt like if she did, someone would throw a drink in her face or whisper just loud enough for her to hear. Still, she did it. One step at a time. Head high, even though her insides felt like wet paper.
She spotted him down the hall. Miles. Standing by his locker, arms crossed, face set like stone. And when their eyes met, it was like everything else faded away.
When Miles saw her, it was like time had slammed the brakes. Leia's expression said everything-confused, scared, strong anyway. And suddenly he knew exactly what he had to do.
He stepped away from his locker and walked straight to her.
"Leia-"
She shook her head. "Not here."
And with that, she walked past him, toward the back doors leading outside. And he followed, just like he always did.
He caught up to her quickly. Leia was walking fast, like she was trying to outrun something-maybe everything. He wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. He reached her, just before she could step outside the school building. Without thinking, his hand found the back of her arm, stopping her in her tracks.
"Miles…" Her voice trembled slightly, but she didn't pull away. "Don't."
"I just-" He took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. He hated this feeling, this fear that things were falling apart, just as quickly as they'd come together. "I'm sorry. For last night. For everything."
Leia turned to him, her eyes wide. Her face looked softer than usual, like she'd dropped her guard just enough to let him see the vulnerability beneath her strength. "What are you sorry for?"
"For… for not being straight with you." He stepped closer, just enough to close the gap. "I should've told you about Cleo. Should've told you everything before you saw that picture."
"Stop." Her voice was firm now. "Don't apologize for that. You're not the one who made the rumours."
"Yeah, but I didn't stop it either. I let it happen, and I should've known better. You don't deserve that."
She stared up at him for a long moment, and he was convinced she was going to walk away-just like she had so many times before when things got hard. But she didn't. Instead, her eyes softened, and then her hand, almost instinctively, found his. She let him pull her closer, and for a brief second, everything else-every judgment, every whisper, every fear-disappeared.
She let herself relax in his arms, and for a while, it was just them. No one else.
It felt safe in his arms, in a way she hadn't felt in a long time. Miles wasn't perfect. He'd messed up, sure. He wasn't the knight in shining armour she might've imagined when she was younger, but he was real. He cared. And in this moment, that was enough.
She leaned her head against his chest, her breath steadying. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat was calming, grounding her. She didn't want to pull away. Not now. Not when the world felt so heavy.
But they couldn't stay like this forever. Not with everything looming over them.
"I don't know what's next, Leia," Miles said quietly, his voice almost a whisper. "But I do know this… I'm not going anywhere."
Her hand tightened on his shirt, and she nodded, not trusting her voice.
They stood there for what felt like an eternity, their problems just outside the reach of their little bubble. Then, eventually, the sound of the bell breaking the silence reminded them both that the world hadn't stopped spinning.
It was a slow walk out of the school, hand in hand. The quiet of the day was starting to settle around them, a calm after the storm. Leia felt a strange sense of relief, even if it wasn't permanent. It wasn't all fixed. Nothing ever was.
When they reached the parking lot, however, the calmness shattered.
Her stepmother, Jessica, was standing at the end of the lot, arms crossed, eyes cold. Her gaze locked onto Leia, like she was the one who had broken every rule.
"Leia!" Jessica shouted, her voice sharp and biting. "Get over here. Now."
Leia froze, the blood draining from her face. Miles could feel her tension. He squeezed her hand in silent support.
"I'm not going with you," Leia said firmly, her voice surprisingly strong. She was trying, desperately, to hold her ground, but Jessica was relentless.
"You don't have a choice. Your mother is causing all kinds of problems. You think you can just waltz away from this? You think I'm going to let you leave like that?"
"I don't care about you, Jessica." Leia's voice was rising now, frustration building. "I'm not some pawn in your stupid games."
"Don't you dare talk to me like that, young lady! You'll get in trouble for this."
"I'm already in trouble," Leia snapped. "This whole situation's a mess. Why don't you just-" She stopped, inhaling sharply. She wanted to tell Jessica what she really thought. Wanted to scream about how she had no say in her life, how her father didn't care, and how Jessica's approval didn't matter. But she didn't.
Instead, she turned to Miles.
"I'm leaving," Leia said, looking up at him, trying to find the comfort she always found in his eyes. "Let's go."
Miles didn't hesitate. He pulled her closer to him, his hand sliding around her waist protectively. He was done with the nonsense. Done with the yelling. Done with pretending everything was fine when it clearly wasn't.
Jessica's voice rang out again, shrill and angry. "You can't just walk away from me, Leia. You're not going anywhere. This is not how this works!"
But Leia was already walking, pulling Miles with her. She didn't care what Jessica had to say anymore. She was tired of being trapped. She was tired of being the disappointment. She was tired of everything.
And then, just as they were almost at the exit, Miles did something that made Leia's heart skip in her chest.
Without turning around, Miles flicked Jessica off, his middle finger raised high, defying her from a distance.
Leia's mouth dropped open. "Miles!"
He turned to her, a smirk on his face. "What? She deserves it."
Leia couldn't help but laugh. It wasn't funny. It wasn't the solution to her problems. But in that moment, it felt like the weight of everything-the rumours, the drama, the brokenness of it all-had lifted, if only for a second.
Together, they kept walking, heading out of the parking lot and into the unknown.
Miles walked her the whole way, even though it was out of his way. He didn't care. Leia's silence said more than words ever could, and just knowing she wanted him near again – that she wasn't pulling away – was enough. When they finally reached the house, her mother was waiting at the door, and Leia turned to him.
"I'll text you," she said softly, not quite letting go of his hand yet.
He gave her a lazy smile, brushing a piece of hair behind her ear. "You better."
She lingered a second longer, then turned and walked up to the door. Miles didn't leave until she was inside, until the porch light blinked off behind her and he was certain she was safe.
It was colder now than it had been earlier. A sharp wind cut through his hoodie as he shoved his hands deep into his pockets, the silence of the evening wrapping around him like a heavy blanket. The neighbourhood was quiet, just the occasional flicker of a TV behind a curtain, a barking dog in the distance.
His footsteps echoed against the pavement as he approached the street he lived on. A part of him wanted to turn back, to stay outside longer and keep riding the peace he felt from being with Leia. But something nagged at him – something that made his steps slow the moment he turned the corner and saw his house.
It was subtle at first. The porch light was on, which wasn't strange in itself.
But then his eyes landed on the car.
Parked in the driveway.
Unfamiliar. Out of place.
His heart thudded once, hard. It wasn't Theo's – his brother was working late. And it wasn't their mom's either; she was long gone, and her old beat-up car hadn't been seen in months.
Miles stopped at the edge of the street, just staring.
The sleek, dark vehicle sat quiet and still, its windows tinted too dark to see through. He couldn't make out the make or model in the dim light, but something about it – the sharp angles, the way it seemed to hum with tension even sitting still – made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
Something wasn't right.
A cold weight settled in his stomach.
Whoever was inside – if anyone still was – didn't belong.
He didn't move. Not yet.
He just stood there, eyes locked on the car, heart beginning to pound again, but this time with unease instead of affection.
The night had been calm. Soft. Hopeful.
But now?
Now, it felt like something had shifted.
Like something was waiting for him behind that front door.
And then the porch light flickered.
Just once.
Miles took a step forward – and then he hears those two words
"hey, son"