Warm air still clung to the hallway.
Lilly stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped tight, hair damp and loose over her shoulders. Her thoughts were elsewhere—half on Nana's words, half on the strange quiet of the house at night.
Get dressed. Sleep. Reset.
Inside her room, Noah was finishing up.
He had set the desk straight.
Lined her bag neatly by the wall.
Left a glass of water by the bed.
He lingered a second too long, lost in thought.
Did I put the charger on the right side? Nana hates clutter…
He turned to leave.
At the exact same moment, Lilly stepped forward.
Neither noticed the door was already open.
They collided.
A soft thud.
A startled gasp.
Momentum won.
They tumbled backward onto the bed in a mess of limbs and hurried apologies, the mattress bouncing once before settling.
"I—sorry!"
"No—my fault!"
Their faces stopped inches apart.
Too close.
Too quiet.
Lilly's breath caught.
Noah froze completely.
For half a second, the world forgot how to move.
She could feel his warmth.
Hear his breathing.
Her lips tingled before anything even happened.
"…Noah," Lilly said suddenly.
Her voice was quieter than she meant it to be.
"Yeah?" he replied, barely above a whisper.
"She talked to me," Lilly said. "Nana."
He blinked. "Oh."
"She said… scars mean you're still surviving."
Noah didn't move.
"She said you grew up waiting for people who never stayed," Lilly continued, eyes fixed on his collar instead of his face.
"That you learned to help whoever was in front of you instead."
Noah swallowed.
"She told me to take care of you."
The words hung between them.
"I didn't know what that meant," Lilly admitted. "I still don't."
She finally looked at him.
"But… I think I want to try."
Noah's expression softened, something unguarded flickering through his eyes.
"Oh," he said again. "Okay."
Footsteps passed the hallway.
Nana's voice drifted by, amused.
"Doors exist for a reason."
A pause.
"And don't forget—use protection."
Silence crashed down.
Lilly buried her face in her hands.
Noah scrambled upright so fast he nearly fell off the bed.
"I— I'll— goodnight—!"
The door slid shut far too fast.
Lilly lay back, staring at the ceiling, heart racing.
Her lips still tingled.
For the first time since arriving—
She wasn't thinking about orders.
Or enemies.
Or escape.
She was thinking about him.
And about the promise she'd just made…
without realizing it.