Eden's Bedroom – 11:34 PM.
She read the message a hundred times.
I love you.
Not "I want you."
Not "I need you."
Not "You're mine."
But something raw. Human. Real.
It terrified her.
And yet, she found herself throwing on a hoodie, slipping out her window, and walking into the dark — like a ghost hunting the only boy who could see her.
---
Hunter's Apartment – 12:12 AM
The door opened before she even knocked.
Hunter stood there shirtless, bruised, his knuckles wrapped in gauze. His chest rose and fell with something just beneath panic.
"Eden…"
She didn't speak.
She just walked in.
He closed the door behind her like sealing a secret.
Then silence.
Until—
"Why did you come?"
She turned to him slowly.
And for once, her voice didn't shake.
"Because I can't breathe when I'm away from you."
He blinked.
Hard.
She stepped closer.
"Because everyone saw what happened… and I should've run the other way. But I didn't."
"Because I didn't answer your message. But I read it a hundred times. And because—"
She hesitated. Her voice cracked.
"I think I love you, too."
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Didn't blink.
Then—
He exhaled.
It's like it hurt.
---
The Breakdown
Hunter sat on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "For the fight. For making you a target. For f*cking up the one thing I wanted to protect."
Eden crossed the room.
Kneeled in front of him.
"Look at me," she whispered.
He didn't.
So, she placed both hands on his thighs and leaned in.
"Hunter."
He finally looked down.
Eyes glassy. Jaw tight. And something broken just beneath the surface.
"You didn't ruin me," she whispered. "You found me already ruined. You just refused to walk away."
A beat of silence.
Then he surged forward and kissed her.
---
The Make-Up Heat
It was different this time.
There was no rush. No clothes ripped in desperation.
It was just a slow burn that started in her chest and settled between her thighs.
He kissed her like a prayer.
Touched her like a map.
His hands trembled as they slid under her hoodie, lifting it slowly, reverently, until she was bare from the waist up. He didn't say anything. Just stared.
"You're looking at me like I'm holy," she breathed.
His voice was wrecked.
"You are."
He leaned down, trailing his lips from her collarbone to the soft curve of her breast, pressing a kiss there like a vow.
"I'm sorry they looked at you like an object," he whispered. "I'm sorry they turned your body into gossip."
She gasped as his tongue flicked across her nipple — gentle, then not. His hands gripped her hips as he laid her back on the bed, eyes never leaving hers.
"I'll never touch you like you're a rumor," he said. "Only like you're mine."
---
The Confession
Afterward, they lay tangled in the dark.
Eden curled into his side, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his chest.
And then… he spoke.
"I watched my mom leave," he said quietly. "She packed a bag while I was still asleep. Left a note. Nothing else."
Eden froze.
"I didn't cry. Not at first. I just thought maybe if I was better—quieter, stronger—she'd come back."
She lifted her head. "Hunter…"
"So I built this wall, right? This reputation. This shield."
He looked at her now.
"And then you walked through it like it was made of smoke."
Eden kissed his chest. Soft. Lingering.
"You make me feel like I'm not a mistake," she whispered.
"You're not."
"You make me want more."
"You can have it," he said. "All of it. Just don't leave."
She pressed her lips to his pulse.
"I'm not going anywhere."