The streetlights were already on.
Even though the sky still held a faint trace of evening blue, the lamps along the sidewalk cast warm pools of light across the pavement. The air was cold enough that every breath came out in pale mist.
Logan walked beside Ava the same way they always did.
Not too close.Not too far.
Just naturally falling into step together.
The neighborhood was quiet. Houses lining the street, windows glowing softly behind curtains. Somewhere far away a car passed, the sound fading quickly.
Ava had her hands tucked into the pockets of her hoodie.
She always walked like that.
Steady.
Calm.
Like she wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere.
Logan glanced sideways at her.
Her purple hair caught the glow of the streetlight for a moment as they passed beneath it. The color shifted slightly, violet fading into shadow.
She noticed him looking.
Her eyes met his.
Blue-violet.
Clear and steady.
Then something unusual happened.
Ava stopped walking.
Logan slowed too, turning slightly toward her.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The quiet stretched between them, soft and comfortable.
Then Ava smiled.
It wasn't a big smile.
Just a small one.
The kind she rarely showed.
Logan felt something tighten in his chest.
He stepped a little closer without really thinking about it.
Ava didn't move away.
Their breaths drifted into the cold night air, faint clouds between them.
Logan exhaled slowly.
Ava did the same.
Their foreheads touched.
Warm.
Close.
For a second the world felt strangely still.
Logan could hear the quiet rhythm of her breathing.
The distant hum of a streetlamp.
Nothing else.
Ava looked up slightly.
Their eyes met again.
And then—
Logan leaned forward.
The kiss was soft.
Careful.
Like he was afraid the moment might break if he moved too quickly.
It felt unreal.
Too perfect.
Too quiet.
Like something that had always existed somewhere just out of reach.
Then—
Logan's eyes opened.
Dark ceiling.
Gray shadows.
His bedroom.
The faint blue light of early morning creeping through the curtains.
He stared upward for a moment, unmoving.
Then he let out a slow breath.
"…again."
His voice was barely audible in the quiet room.
Another dream.
About her.
Logan dragged a hand over his face, still staring at the ceiling.
He didn't really understand why his brain kept doing this.
It wasn't like he'd ever thought about Ava that way before.
At least… not consciously.
He turned his head slightly toward the nightstand.
His headphones rested there beside his phone.
Everything looked normal.
Everything felt normal.
Except for the lingering warmth in his chest that the dream had left behind.
Logan frowned faintly.
"…what is this?"
He shifted against the pillow.
Maybe he was just getting influenced.
Marcus and Tess had been insufferable lately.
Raxian and Sable weren't much better.
The whole group seemed to be turning into couples.
Maybe it was contagious.
The thought was ridiculous.
Yet somehow the explanation felt strangely convenient.
Logan exhaled again.
He closed his eyes.
Even now the memory of the dream still hovered faintly in his mind.
The quiet street.
Ava's small smile.
The warmth of her forehead against his.
The kiss.
It had felt… comforting.
Logan's eyes opened slightly.
"…wait."
Did he really just think that?
He stared at the ceiling again for a moment.
Then he sighed.
"…whatever."
It was just a dream.
Nothing more.
Logan rolled slightly onto his side and pulled the blanket up a little.
His mind was already drifting again.
If his brain wanted to keep playing strange tricks on him tonight, he wasn't going to argue with it.
Within a few minutes, the room returned to silence.
And Logan fell asleep again.