The morning was quiet – the kind that didn’t rush you.

Reyhaan sat by the window with his tea, a half-eaten slice of toast in one hand, phone in the other. Sunlight slid down the edge of his sleeve, coaxing him into the day.

He hadn’t touched breakfast. Not really.

Aria’s face flickered through his thoughts like it did often now – uninvited, sure, but never unwelcome.

It wasn’t just that she’d been quiet last night. It was a quiet that didn’t rest. Something had snagged at the edges of her words, like a thread caught mid-pull. Like she hadn’t decided what to do about it yet.

Reyhaan: Hey. Morning. Did you get enough sleep?

He stared. Backspaced.

Typed: Hi. You okay?

Too sharp. Too direct.

Deleted again.

His thumb hovered above the keypad, as if the blinking cursor might type for him. He didn’t want to sound worried. Didn’t want to come off like he was assuming something was wrong. Maybe she just needed space. Maybe she was tired. But the way she'd stood by the patio railing yesterday, half-there even while Maya and Kian laughed next to her...

Eventually, he settled on: Good morning. Are you on your way to Vireo yet?

Short. Easy. But it didn’t hide the fact that he was asking because he wanted to show up. Because he already knew he would.

Aria’s reply came a minute later.

Aria: Hey. Not yet – just getting ready. :)

No extra words. No extra pause. Just her.

Reyhaan closed the message and set the mug on the kitchen sink. Picked up his backpack, keys, and jacket from the hook near the door.

He didn’t tell her he was coming.

Ten minutes later, he parked a little down the lane from her apartment building. The car engine settled into silence. The sidewalk was still mostly empty – weekday traffic had just begun to build. A few sparrows hopped between the tiled rooflines, like they too were waiting for something to begin.

Reyhaan glanced at the entrance gate, wondering if this was a mistake. What if she didn’t want to see him this early?

He tapped his fingers once against the wheel, unsure if she’d mind him showing up like this. She hadn’t asked. He hadn’t offered.

But something about last night had unsettled him – the way she’d leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed tighter than usual. Her laugh had come late once or twice. That pause when Maya had asked her something, and Aria had taken a beat too long to answer.

He didn’t need her to explain. He just wanted her to know she didn’t have to carry it alone, whatever it was.

A soft metallic creak drew his attention – the main gate of her building was opening. Reyhaan looked up.

There she was.

A simple black dress – soft, elegant, understated. Something about the neckline and sleeves framed her in a way that made him pause. She looked... like someone new.

Not because she’d changed, but because of the quiet confidence in the way she wore it.

It made him look again.

Reyhaan almost lifted his hand to wave, then let it fall. Instead, reached for the headlights and gave a small flick. A low-stakes hello. Just enough.

Aria paused mid-step. Turned, brows drawing slightly in surprise.

There was a flicker of amazement in her expression – not unpleasant, but unreadable. She walked over to his window.

He rolled it down.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth – not quite landing.

Reyhaan shrugged once, casually. “Tram fares are rising. I’m saving you a few euros.”

She exhaled a small laugh – barely-there, but real. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know.”

Aria tilted her head, lips parting as if to argue. She looked like she meant to ask something – but wasn’t sure if she should. Then shook her head slightly, circled to the passenger side, and climbed in. The seatbelt clicked into place.

They drove through soft patches of morning sun. The silence settled – not heavy, not light. Just there. The kind of silence that Reyhaan had grown used to – the kind that came when Aria was thinking about something but hadn’t decided if she’d speak it aloud.

She stared ahead, then to the window. Then her hands. Then briefly toward him.

“Did you sleep okay?” he asked.

“Mm-hm.” She nodded. “You?”

He smiled, eyes still on the road. “Eventually.”

A beat.

Aria glanced toward him again, then turned back to her side. “The stars were bright last night,” she said, unprompted.

“They were,” he said. “You watched them?”

“Yeah. Just… for a while.”

He wanted to ask what she'd been thinking about. But didn’t.

Their conversation continued. Casual. Light things. Surface-level chatter. A comment about the traffic. A passing billboard. Reyhaan asked if Maya had ended up sending that chaotic meme she promised last night. Aria told him she had – and added a sticker on top that made it worse.

Even as they talked, something about Aria felt slightly off. Her answers came a second too late. Her gaze kept drifting to the window – even when there was nothing to look at. A few times, Reyhaan caught her glancing over – like she needed to ask or say something – but when he looked, her face was calm again.

He didn’t press.

As they reached her office, he pulled over along the curb. It was busier now – the city stretching into movement. Aria unbuckled her seatbelt with a soft click.

“Well…” she turned toward him, “Thanks for the save.”

He opened his mouth to say something – maybe anytime – but she’d already pushed the door open and stepped out.

The passenger door thudded shut.

Reyhaan glanced to the side and noticed something small and metallic near the edge of her seat. A tiny earring clasp – stuck in the seat’s corner crease.

He picked it up gently, then stepped out of the car just as another gust of wind picked up. It tugged at his jacket and ruffled her hair. Leaves scuttled past his shoes.

“Aria,” he called, catching up in a few long strides. She turned, surprised, and stopped short as he came in front of her.

Her left earring hung loose, tangled in wind-blown strands.

Without a word, Reyhaan reached up and gently plucked it from her hair, letting his fingers graze only what was needed. Her breath hitched so subtly he might’ve imagined it.

“You dropped this in the car.” He showed her both the earring and its clasp.

Aria blinked. Her hand instinctively went to her left ear. “Oh – I didn’t even notice,” she said. “Thank you.”

She tried to reattach it then and there – but her fingers missed the piercing, once, then again. Her hair got caught in the earring’s clasp. Her bag shifted, bumping her side.

Wordlessly, Reyhaan stepped closer and held out a hand.

She stilled. Didn’t resist.

He took the tote bag from her arm gently and let it settle against his own. Then pulled out his phone, turned on the front camera, and held it up at a mirror angle.

“Here.”

Aria gave a small, breathy laugh. “That’s creative.”

“I’m versatile.”

She tried again, earring in one hand, hair caught in the other. A sudden gust scattered the strands further across her cheek. They caught against her lashes.

Reyhaan switched the phone to his right hand. Then took one small step closer.

His other hand – now free – hovered just a moment, and then settled lightly near her hair. Paused. Then, slowly, he tucked the strands behind her ear. His touch was careful. Gentle. The kind of touch you gave to a page mid-poem. Not rushed. Not claiming.

Just… making space.

Aria didn’t pull back – not physically, not emotionally. For a few seconds, neither of them did. The noise of the street fell back. Just her soft breath. His pulse.

Then, with her hand steadier now, she slid the earring in. It clicked.

But her gaze remained on the phone’s screen for a moment longer – until, gradually, her eyes lifted. Found his.

“…Thank you,” she said. It came out quieter than before. Almost a whisper.

Reyhaan lowered his fingers from her hair. Let the strands fall naturally. His other hand clicked the phone shut.

He gave a small smile and moved a little back, letting the air shift between them again. He passed her the bag.

Aria’s fingers curled around the strap just as it slid slightly off again – and he caught it reflexively. Adjusted it on her shoulder.

The motion was unthinking. Familiar.

She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to.

Just looked at him for a beat longer than she normally would have.

The moment stretched as they stood there. Neither knew if there was something else to say.

Reyhaan finally cleared his throat lightly. “I should head.”

Aria nodded, but didn’t move away. Something in her gaze softened – like a door she hadn’t realized was half-closed.

He turned around and took two steps before –

“Reyhaan?”

He paused, then turned to face her.

She hesitated, then tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Let me know… when you reach the studio?”

He blinked. Caught the faint flicker of something in her voice. Concern, maybe. Or care she didn’t know how to word.

His chest tightened a little. Something eased, too.

He nodded, a quiet smile forming. “Will do.”

As he walked back to the car, Reyhaan exhaled slowly. He thought about her voice – the way she’d said it. Not like she was checking on him. More like she was reaching out. In the quietest way she could. His mind retraced the distance between them. The way she hadn’t pulled back when he reached for her hair. The silence that had stretched between them, not in discomfort – but in something still forming its name.

She still trusted him.

And for now, that was enough.