Aiden was lingering in the hall, unsure if he was supposed to just leave. He didn't do casual goodbyes. He wasn't used to being invited into anything, let alone asked to stay.
He was halfway to the front door when a soft voice stopped him.
"Aiden."
He turned.
Rosalie stood at the top of the stairs. Barefoot. Her hair undone. And for the first time since he'd met her, her posture wasn't perfect—it was relaxed. Or maybe… deliberately unguarded.
"You're not going to vanish without saying goodnight, are you?" she asked.
"Wasn't sure I was allowed to."
Rosalie raised a brow, then motioned with her hand. "Come up."
He hesitated. Just a second. But then his feet were moving before his brain could catch up.
Her room was—predictably—immaculate. Not sterile. But curated. A vanity in the corner. Framed photographs with people he didn't recognize. A single window cracked open to let in the cool forest air.
Rosalie sat on the edge of the bed, but didn't look at him at first.
"I don't usually do this," she said.
"Do what?" Aiden asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"This. Let people in."
He didn't say anything. Just waited.
She finally looked up. "But… I wanted you here. Tonight. For more than Edward's experiment with Bella."
Aiden stepped closer. "Why?"
Rosalie opened her mouth. Closed it. Then stood.
When she stopped in front of him, they were inches apart. Too close for lies.
"Because you don't ask for anything," she said. "You don't chase. You just… see people. Even when they don't want to be seen."
He tilted his head, watching her. "And you don't scare me."
That got a soft exhale out of her. A breath between a laugh and a warning.
"You should be," she whispered.
But she didn't step back.
And neither did he.
The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast warm shadows across the room. Rosalie stood by the edge of her bed, her eyes locked onto Aiden's as he leaned closer, their breaths mingling in the quiet space between them.
"I never thought…" Rosalie's voice was low, almost a whisper. "That I'd feel this way about you."
Aiden's heart hammered. He reached out, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering against her skin. The air between them thickened, charged with something unspoken, something dangerous.
He tilted his head, inching closer, their faces mere inches apart. His lips hovered, the moment pregnant with possibility.
Just as their lips were about to meet, a sharp knock cut through the tension.
"Elise?" Rosalie's voice startled them both.
The door creaked open, and Elise stepped inside, eyes wide and unreadable. "Sorry to interrupt…but can I have a talk with aiden, real quick"
Aiden's gaze flicked between the two women, the fragile intimacy shattered. Rosalie sighed, a shadow crossing her face as she slid back from him.
"We'll have to finish this later," she said quietly.
Elise's presence was a reminder that their world was never simple—or safe.