It was quiet. Too quiet for a masquerade night.
There was music echoing from the halls, the laughter of students echoing off the stone walls of the academy, the clinking of glasses, and the heavy scent of perfume and charm drifting in the air. But where Skylar stood, right in the middle of the garden, beneath the tangled fairy lights and scattered rose petals... it was quiet.
She turned around. Aiden was behind her.
He wasn't wearing a mask. Maybe he didn't want to hide tonight.
"Hey," he said, his voice low, barely pushing through the sound of the wind.
"You look... kind of decent," she said teasingly, offering him a tiny smile.
Aiden laughed. But it was short-lived.
They both stood in silence after that.
Because for once, there wasn't a school rumor they were dodging, or a sarcastic Jace to bark at, or even Mia pulling Skylar into random chaos. For once, it was just the two of them. And Aiden had planned this.
He had been planning it for weeks.
The small piece of paper in his pocket crumpled from how many times he had rehearsed those words. He had rewritten it. Folded it. Ripped it. Then rewritten it again. The words he wanted to tell her. The truth.
About how every time she laughed, it made everything else seem quiet.
About how he couldn’t stand seeing her cry that day behind the classroom when she thought no one was watching.
About how scared he was when he received that anonymous message saying she should stay away from him—because they were watching.
About how he didn’t care.
He walked beside her, silent. The two of them wandered near the lake, the moonlight barely touching the surface.
"Aiden," she said quietly.
He looked at her.
"Can I say something without you making it weird?"
He raised a brow. "You say that like I'm the weird one here."
She laughed, and it made his chest tighten.
"No, I mean... I know you've been trying to be there for me lately. I see that. I notice the small things. The way you... protect me. Even when you pretend you don’t care."
He stayed quiet, heart racing.
"I just want you to know," she went on, looking up at him. "You're really important to me. Like... a best friend. One of the most important ones I've ever had."
Friend.
He blinked.
"I'm glad I have you, Aiden. I really am."
And that was it.
He felt the words die in his throat. The note in his pocket suddenly felt heavier. Useless.
He shoved his hand into his jacket, gripping the paper tight enough to tear it, but he didn’t pull it out. He couldn't.
The smile he gave her was soft, fake, but she didn’t notice. Or maybe she did, but she didn’t say anything.
"Always," he said.
After the walk, when Skylar went back into the ballroom, Aiden stood still by the lake, pulling out the small note.
I like you.
Not in a vague way. Not in a maybe way.
I like you in the way that scares me because you're the first person who made me feel like I'm not alone.
He stared at the words. Then folded them again. Tighter. Smaller.
Then walked off.
---
The balcony was cold. The moonlight cast harsh shadows over Bianca’s sharp features as she sipped her black coffee. At a masquerade.
Of course.
"Took you long enough," she muttered as Aiden leaned on the railing beside her.
He didn’t say anything for a while.
"She doesn’t feel the same," he finally said.
"Obviously," Bianca replied without missing a beat.
Aiden turned to her, eyebrows drawn. "You knew this?"
"I warned you," she snapped, still sipping. "I told you from the beginning not to let your emotions do the talking. But nooo, you wanted to play hero. Save the girl. Protect her from the world. What were you expecting? A fairytale ending?"
He clenched his jaw.
"You don’t understand."
"No, Aiden. You don't understand," she said sharply, finally facing him. "Skylar isn’t built like you. She doesn’t wear her heart like a medal. She won’t fall just because you were there to catch her."
He stepped back slightly, wounded.
Bianca sighed, softer this time.
"You think I'm cruel for saying it, but I know you. I know how far you fall when you feel. I know how hard it is for you to pull yourself back. And I didn't want you to get lost in her."
There was a beat.
"But I already am," he whispered.
Bianca closed her eyes. The wind rustled her dress, her mask dangling between her fingers.
"Then you better learn how to swim, Aiden," she said, voice low. "Because no one’s diving in after you."
And with that, she turned away, leaving Aiden alone with the stars and a confession that never reached its mark.
This night wasn't his.
But maybe the next one could be.