POV: Hex
When Jay started teasing me about Mila, I left before she could escalate it into a wedding plan.
"It's just a call," I told her.
She squinted at me like I had already betrayed the nation.
I closed my door and answered.
"Mila."
Her voice was soft. "Hi."
Not loud.
Not playful.
Soft.
Immediately suspicious.
"You sound serious," I said.
There was a pause.
"Where were you two weeks ago?"
Straight.
No introduction.
No warm-up.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"I told you. I was sick."
Silence.
Then quietly—
"You weren't just sick, were you?"
My stomach dropped.
She wasn't accusing.
She was noticing.
And that was worse.
"I don't know what you mean," I replied lightly.
Another pause.
"Hex… are you in trouble?"
The way she asked it.
Careful.
Like if I said yes, she'd step closer instead of stepping back.
I leaned against my desk.
"No."
"You disappear a lot," she said. "You come back tired. Sometimes bruised. And you flinch at loud noises."
I blinked.
She noticed that?
"I just… overthink," I said.
"You don't," she replied gently. "You calculate."
That one hit.
She continued.
"If something's going on… you can tell me."
Why does that feel heavier than any punch?
Because that's trust.
And trust is dangerous when you wear a mask at night.
"Mila…"
She inhaled slowly.
"Do you trust me?"
There it is.
The question.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just honest.
"Yes," I said.
But my voice hesitated.
And she heard it.
"You act like I matter," she said softly. "But you don't let me in. Why?"
Because if I let you in, you'll see everything.
Because if you see everything, you'll either get hurt or leave.
Because I'm not just Hex.
And I can't say that.
Before I could answer, she spoke again.
"…Is there someone else?"
I froze.
Someone else?
My brain betrayed me instantly.
Jay's face flashed.
Luna Byte resting her head.
Her laughing.
Her yelling at Kaizer.
Focus.
"No," I said too quickly.
Mila sighed softly.
"I don't mean like that. I just mean… you're distracted lately."
I exhaled slowly.
"I'm not seeing anyone."
Which was technically true.
But emotionally complicated.
Then she said something unexpected.
"Why do you hate being called kid?"
My heart skipped.
"What?"
"You reacted once when I joked about it. And today when Ethan called you that… you looked different."
She noticed that too?
I stared at the wall.
"Who made you hate that word?" she asked quietly.
Memories flickered.
Being underestimated.
Being dismissed.
Being told I was "just a kid" while carrying things I shouldn't have been carrying.
While protecting people I shouldn't have had to protect.
"It's nothing," I muttered.
"It's not nothing," she replied gently.
Silence stretched between us.
Then—
"Hex," she said slowly, "if I asked you something crazy… would you promise not to lie?"
My pulse spiked.
"What kind of crazy?"
"…Are you the famous tech kid Night Byte?"
The room went very still.
Even the air paused.
I swallowed.
"What?"
"I know it sounds ridiculous," she said quickly. "But the timing. The way you fight in P.E. The way you move. The way your voice changes when you're serious. And the way you reacted today…"
She stopped.
"I'm not trying to expose you," she added softly. "I just… want to know if I'm trusting someone real."
My heart felt loud in my chest.
If I lie, I lose something.
If I tell the truth, I risk everything.
So I chose the in-between.
"I can't answer that," I said quietly.
She didn't push.
She just breathed.
"…Okay."
Another silence.
Then, softer.
"Hex?"
"Yeah?"
"Even if you are… or you're not… I don't like you because you're strong or mysterious."
My throat tightened.
"I like you because you're kind. And awkward. And you pretend not to care but you do."
That hurt in a warm way.
"I just don't want to lose you," she added.
I slid down the wall until I was sitting on the floor.
"You won't," I said.
And for once, that wasn't a lie.
There was a small sniff on the other side.
"Good."
Then she laughed softly.
"And for the record… I won't call you kid anymore."
I huffed a tiny laugh.
"Thanks."
"But," she added playfully, "you're still short."
I gasped dramatically. "Mila."
She giggled.
And somehow the tension melted.
Not adult romantic.
Not dramatic.
Just two people trying.
"I trust you," she said.
"I trust you too."
And it felt… simple.
Like holding hands without anyone seeing.
Childish.
Soft.
Safe.
End of Chapter 105 🌙✨