The ride to Damien's apartment was quieter than Maya expected. The car hummed beneath them, and the headlights cut through the darkness like silent blades. Damien had offered the ride without hesitation, his voice calm but unusually gentle -- different from his usual sarcasm and indifference.
Maya sat curled slightly against the door, one hand pressed to her phone though there was no service. She hadn't told Tessa she wouldn't be back. She hadn't even texted. And now, with Logan's words still echoing in her chest, she couldn't summon the will to.
She could feel Damien glance at her now and then, not saying much. She appreciated it -- the way he didn't push. It steadied her. The night had been long, full of too many things she didn't understand and didn't want to face. The near kiss. Logan's confession. Her heart thudding too loudly in a room that had gone too dark.
Now, in Damien's car, there was stillness. But not emptiness. It was the kind of quiet that wrapped itself around her like a blanket.
When they reached the apartment building, he got out first and walked around to open her door. She looked up at him, hesitated, then stepped out. Their hands brushed accidentally as he offered support, and neither of them pulled away.
"Thanks," she said quietly. "For… all of this."
"You don't have to thank me," he replied simply, voice low.
The apartment was small but neat. Damien flipped the light switch on with a soft click. "Make yourself comfortable," he said, shrugging off his hoodie and tossing it on the back of the couch. "You want something to drink? Tea, water?"
She shook her head and sank into the couch slowly, arms folded around herself. Her body was tired, but her mind wouldn't shut off.
"I can get you a change of clothes -- my sister sometimes stays over. You're about the same size, I think."
"That'd be nice," she murmured.
A few minutes later, he handed her a soft oversized shirt and sleep shorts. She smiled faintly and stood. "Where's the bathroom?"
"Through that door." He pointed.
When she came out -- face bare, hair tied in a loose knot, his sister's shirt reaching her thighs -- he paused, looking at her for a second too long before turning away.
"Better?" he asked, not meeting her eyes now.
"A little."
They sat on opposite ends of the couch for a while. Maya hugged a throw pillow against her chest, her eyes flickering toward Damien when she thought he wasn't looking. His jaw tightened like he was trying not to speak.
"You're really quiet tonight," she said softly.
"I figured you'd want space." He finally looked at her. "I didn't want to say the wrong thing."
"Maybe I need someone to say something real for once."
His lips curved. "That a challenge?"
She didn't smile. "It's been a long night."
He nodded. "You wanna talk about it?"
"No." She shook her head. "I don't even know what to say. One minute, I hate Logan. The next... I hate that I don't hate him enough."
Damien's gaze held hers for a long moment. "I don't think you're supposed to have all the answers right away. You're human."
"Is that your version of comforting?"
He shrugged. "Maybe."
Maya looked down at her hands. "I just feel like I can't trust anyone. Like if I let someone close again, I'll break."
"You won't break," he said quietly. "Not you."
There was something in his tone that made her glance at him -- really glance. His expression wasn't pity. It was something softer. Something steadier. A quiet sort of respect. And it caught her off guard more than Logan's chaos ever could.
She leaned her head back against the couch and sighed. "You make it feel a little less heavy. I don't know why."
Damien's voice was barely above a whisper. "Maybe that's what I'm hoping for."
Before she could respond, her phone buzzed against the table. A call. Tessa.
Maya picked it up immediately.
"Where the hell are you?" Tessa's voice came sharp and panicked. "You disappeared! I've been calling you for hours."
"I'm okay," Maya whispered. "I'm safe. I just… I couldn't come back. The dorm was locked."
"With who?"
There was a pause. Damien turned away slightly to give her privacy, but his shoulder brushed hers.
"Damien," Maya said. "I stayed with Damien."
Tessa paused. Then, "Are you okay though? Like, really?"
"I think I'm just tired. But yeah. I'm okay."
"Text me when you wake up. I was about to file a missing person's report, I swear."
"I will."
She ended the call and placed the phone face down. Her hand lingered against it as if she didn't want to let go just yet.
Damien glanced sideways at her again. "You good?"
She nodded, then hesitated. "Can I stay out here?"
"You can take the bed if you want. I'll sleep out here."
"No," she said quickly. "I mean… maybe we could just both sit here a little longer."
He said nothing, just shifted slightly closer. She didn't stop him.
The quiet wrapped around them again. This time, it was warmer. The kind of silence that didn't demand anything.
Eventually, her head tilted, rested lightly against his shoulder.
Neither of them moved.
And when she finally drifted into sleep, the last thing she heard was the slow rhythm of his breathing beside her.
The next morning, soft light slipped through the curtains, brushing across her cheek. She blinked against it and sat up slowly. Damien was already awake, seated by the table, a steaming mug of tea in his hands. He looked up when she stirred.
"Morning," he said. "Didn't want to wake you."
She stretched slightly, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Her voice was still groggy. "I haven't slept that well in a long time."
There was a smile behind his mug. "Glad I could help."
Something about that smile made her chest tighten. She looked down at the blanket draped across her and realized -- he must've done that after she fell asleep.
"You okay?" he asked.
Maya nodded, even though she wasn't sure what she was feeling.
"Want me to walk you back?" he offered.
Her eyes lingered on him for a moment too long. She nodded again, slower this time. "Yeah. Okay."
As they stepped out into the quiet morning air, Maya felt it -- subtle but certain. Something had shifted.
And she wasn't sure if she was ready for it. But for the first time in a long time, she didn't want to run.