The house was quiet.
Sophie had long since gone to bed, curled up with her stuffed animals. Her dad's soft snores drifted down the hall. The only light came from the lamp on the end table in the living room, casting a golden glow across the piles of books and scattered notes that she hadn't bothered to put away.
Maya sat on the couch, binder closed on her lap, but she wasn't reading. She wasn't even pretending. Her mind was stuck on one image: nine-year-old Jace, sleeping in a makeshift bed on her floor, carrying a weight she hadn't noticed back then. She wondered why Jace was staying the night tonight too, was it for the same reasons as last time? Family issues? Yet his mom seemed so nice...
She hadn't asked more questions at the time. But now… now she wanted to.
Footsteps creaked on the stairs, and she looked up. Jace padded into the living room, hair mussed, hoodie pulled over his head. He looked surprised to see her awake.
"Can't sleep?" he asked softly.
"Could say the same about you," Maya replied.
He sank into the armchair across from her, stretching his long legs out like he owned the space. But his eyes weren't teasing this time. They were tired. Honest.
"You're thinking about what I said earlier." It wasn't a question.
Maya hesitated, then nodded. "Yeah. I didn't know… any of that. I feel like I should have."
Jace's gaze flicked toward the floor. "You were nine, Maya. You weren't supposed to know."
It startled her—the way he said her name. Not Reed, not some nickname designed to get under her skin. Just Maya.
She folded her arms, staring at him. "So what actually happened? Why were you here?"
He rubbed the back of his neck, exhaling slowly. "Things at home got bad for a while. My mom was working doubles at the hospital, and my dad…" His voice trailed off. "Let's just say it wasn't great being around him then. Your dad found out and… gave me a place for a few days. I don't think I've ever told anyone that before."
Maya's chest tightened. She'd always thought of Jace as untouchable—annoying, yes, but unshakable. Seeing him like this, stripped of bravado, made something inside her shift.
"Why tell me now?" she asked quietly.
He met her eyes, and for once there was no smirk, no shield. Just Jace. "Because you asked."
The silence stretched, heavy but not uncomfortable.
Finally, Maya leaned back, hugging her binder to her chest like a shield she didn't really need. "You're not who I thought you were."
Jace gave a small, lopsided smile. "Still the guy who drives you crazy, though."
Her lips curved despite herself. "Yeah. But maybe not for all the reasons I thought."
And for the first time since this project began, the idea of being stuck with Jace Carter didn't feel like torture. It felt like the start of something she wasn't ready to name.