Nova's POV;Weekends were supposed to be about sleeping in and eating questionable meals without guilt. But apparently, my heart had other plans, plans that involved a certain Aiden Cross.I’d spent the last two days pretending to be completely unaffected. Totally normal. Totally fine. Except now, standing in front of my closet like I was about to go to war with every single piece of clothing I owned, I wasn’t fooling anyone.“Girl, you’ll look good in anything. Can you stop staring already?”I turned to find Eli leaning against my doorframe, his arms crossed and an amused smile plastered across his face.“Why are you even here?” I asked, though I couldn’t stop the smile tugging at my lips.He raised a brow. “Did you forget you called me, almost crying—because you didn’t know what to wear?”“Oh.”“Yeah. Oh,” he replied, smirking as he got up. “Now pick something out of what I laid on the bed before I change my mind. And hurry up, your Prince Charming will be here any second.”He wasn’
Nova’s POV Leaving school with Aiden and Eli, and in a surprisingly better mood, felt like the biggest win of the day. I didn’t know how Aiden did it, but those few words he said earlier were enough to quiet the loudest doubt I’d been carrying. Sure, I still planned to have that "title talk" with him eventually, but I figured I could at least… breathe for now. And honestly? Going on like this didn’t feel bad at all. “Don’t tell me we’re leaving without your brother,” Eli said as we reached the parking lot. Thankfully, he’d kept that small but genuine smile on his face all afternoon. A miracle, really. “As a matter of fact,” Aiden said, stopping mid-step, “we are. He texted me that he had something to do and asked me to get you two home safely.” “But he didn’t text me?” Eli frowned, pulling out his phone. “Oh wait—he did,” he said after a second, his face lighting up. “Something about a group project.” “So he texted everyone but his own sister,” I said, shaking my head with a
Aiden’s POVI knew something was off the second I saw Nova walking toward me in the hallway.I’d been waiting exactly where I knew she’d pass, ready to tease her about how slow she walks or maybe steal one of those smiles I’d been getting addicted to. But the closer she got, the more obvious it was, something wasn’t right.Her shoulders were slumped, her steps slower, and the spark in her eyes… gone.This morning she’d been laughing. Even before class, she’d looked happier than I’d seen her in days. And now?“Hey,” she said finally, giving me a tired smile that confirmed everything I already knew.“What’s wrong?” I asked, scanning her face.“Do I look like something’s wrong?” she replied, leaning against the locker like she could hide it.“Yeah,” I said without hesitation. “You do.”She huffed out a small laugh. “Well, I’m fine. Just tired, you know… from all the classes and stuff.”Yeah, no. Total lie.“You’re doing that thing again, Nova,” I said, crossing my arms.Her brow furrowed
Nova’s POVMe and Aiden sat on the bench until it was time for the next class, talking about random things, laughing at absolutely nothing, and,because it’s us—fitting in at least two arguments along the way.It was weird. Normal. The kind of normal I didn’t think we were allowed to have in the middle of all this chaos.And honestly? I didn’t hate it.Eli still lingered in the back of my mind, but every time I worried, I reminded myself: Arnold was with him. And strangely, that was enough to calm me down.“Let’s get to class, Miss Film Producer,” Aiden teased, holding out his hand.Without a word, I took it. Yep. We were at this stage now. No big conversation about i, just… natural. And I liked it. That comfort I’d been searching for in him these past few days? Yeah, it finally clicked into place.“I tell you my dream job and you mock me with it, Cross,” I hissed as we headed inside.“I’m not mocking you,” he said with that annoyingly perfect smile that somehow managed to make my hear
Nova’s POV The moment Eli’s text came through, I didn’t even wait for Aiden to finish whatever he was saying, I was already halfway out the door. I’d been asking him why he showed up with Ty, but honestly, none of it mattered now. Eli needed me, and that was the only thing I cared about. If he was heading to the rooftop, it could only mean one thing: Ty had managed to crack him open again. But at least this time, Eli had texted me instead of just vanishing like he usually does. That was progress. I made it there in record time, or at least what felt like record time. While I was half sprinting up the stairs, the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch, but I didn’t slow down. Guess I was skipping class today. When I reached the rooftop door, I pushed it open just a little, peeking in. And there he was, Eli crying. Not the quiet, hold it in kind of crying, but the raw, heart-wrenching kind that made my chest ache just watching him. And standing next to him, of all people was A
Eli’s POVI didn’t know why I stayed.I should’ve walked out with Arnold like I promised myself I would, to protect my heart, to keep my dignity intact. But instead, I was here, standing in front of Ty, my chest tight and my feet glued to the floor, waiting for him to speak.Almost every bone in my body ached, though I couldn’t even explain why. I wasn’t a doctor, but I was pretty sure heartbreak wasn’t supposed to be this physical. My heart, however, was strangely still like it was holding its breath, waiting for one word from him that could either shatter me or somehow make this pain worse.I couldn’t let myself break down here. Not in this hallway. Not in front of dozens of people who’d eat this up like the latest school drama. If I had to, I’d walk away before I let that happen.“Are you going to keep staring at me?” I finally asked, my voice low. “I thought you said you only needed a few minutes.”“You don’t have to be so mean to me, Eli,” Ty said softly.God, that hurt. He thoug