Sweet Hatred Chapter 287: Love-struck pt 2

Five minutes turned to ten.

Then twelve.

And I was starting to convince myself that maybe she wasn’t coming. Maybe she changed her mind. Maybe Sarah had said sothing. Maybe she fell asleep. Maybe she realized I wasn’t worth the effort of getting out of bed,

Then the door cracked open, and the porch light hit her like so kind of divine spotlight.

And I forgot how to fucking breathe.

She wore the most casual thing imaginable, loose black sweatpants, a faded navy shirt with a college logo I couldn’t read from this distance, and an old oversized jacket draped over her shoulders like armor. Her hair was pulled back in a loose clip, a few strands falling out to fra her face, and she had no makeup on, no pretense.

And still...

She looked like she’d stepped out of every dream I ever had.

There was sothing raw about her. Like she hadn’t put on a mask tonight, like this was the Aria she didn’t show most people. Bare. Honest. Wounded.

My heart squeezed painfully.

She walked slowly, arms crossed against the jacket like a shield, that neutral expression barely hiding the weight she was carrying. Her eyes t mine for a second, and it almost dropped off the bike.

I couldn’t stop staring. I didn’t even realize she’d co to a stop right in front of until she waved a hand in front of my face and snapped her fingers.

"Earth to Sylas," she said softly.

I blinked. "Sorry. I—uh." I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to act cool. "I just wasn’t expecting..."

"What? That I’d actually co out?" she asked, one brow raised.

"No. That you’d... look like that."

Her mouth twitched. "Like what?"

"Like you were handcrafted by the gods to ruin my entire existence."

That earned a look.

I coughed. "I an... you look... nice."

Smooth. Real smooth.

She gave a small laugh and shook her head. "You brought your precious motorcycle?"

I perked up at that. "Well yeah. I figured if I had to steal you away in the middle of the night, it’d be way easier this way. Quicker getaway."

She actually smiled at that... small, but it hit like a wrecking ball.

And I was gone again.

"God, don’t do that," I said under my breath.

She tilted her head. "Do what?"

"Smile like that. I’m barely hanging on here."

Her gaze softened a little, and she stepped a bit closer, reaching up slowly like she was testing herself.

"How’s your face?" she murmured, fingers stretching up to graze the side of my jaw... the one Kael had landed a good hit on.

I tensed. Not from pain.

From how gentle she was. From how her touch cracked sothing open in .

I could barely get the words out. "Still bruised. But like I can’t feel my face so that’s good."

She didn’t say anything right away.

Just looked at like she was trying to read everything I wasn’t saying. Like she wanted to speak, but the words were still tangled in her throat.

And I didn’t care if she never said them.

Because she was here.

With .

And that was more than I deserved.

"So..." I started, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. "How’ve the past few days been for you?"

Aria leaned against the side of the motorcycle, arms still tucked into her jacket, eyes on the sky like it might swallow her up if she stared long enough.

"Fine," she said after a pause. "I an... not fine. But Sarah’s trying her best. I don’t know what I’d do without her."

I nodded slowly. "Yeah, she seems... real dedicated."

She gave a small smile. "She is. Always has been."

Right. Of course.

"But what about Ash?" she asked, looking over at with that careful curiosity.

I smirked, seizing my mont. "Oh, she’s fine. Still annoying. Still pretending she’s not secretly intimidated with ."

Aria rolled her eyes. "I’ll pray for her."

I chuckled. "Actually, she’s the one who told to co get you."

Her brows shot up. "She did?"

"Yup. Said you could really use so air. So actual air. The kind that doesn’t co with Sarah hovering like a protective house cat."

A flicker of amusent passed through her eyes, but she tried to hide it.

"She already took out, you know," Aria said, pushing off the car. "We went to one of our old hangout spots and I had a decent ti. You can tell Ash to relax."

I knew I was losing her, fast.

Before my brain could stop , I reached out and gently tugged on the edge of her jacket.

"Wait," I said, before my voice steadied again. "Just... wait."

She turned, surprised, and I dropped my hand back to my side like it burned .

"I an," I continued, trying not to sound like a damn lunatic, "we’ve got good alcohol. And maybe you could use so to forget... Y’know."

She stared at , one brow raised.

And just like that, I saw the hesitation crack.

"I don’t want to leave Sarah," she murmured, more to herself than .

"She can co," I said instantly. "It’s not a trap, I swear. I won’t even flirt with you unless you ask nicely."

Aria sighed. "You never stop, do you?"

"Not when it cos to you."

That earned a half-second of silence.

Then: "Fine. I’ll ask her."

Victory didn’t feel real until I was following her toward the door, watching her back, watching her move, like she hadn’t disappeared behind four walls of grief. Just seeing her again was doing more to my heart than I wanted to admit.

Sarah stepped into view as soon as the door opened, like she’d been waiting or watching. Her expression lit up a bit when she saw .

"Sylas," she greeted smoothly.

"Hey, Sarah." I gave her a polite smile, keeping it brief. My focus was on Aria, who turned to her with a question I was desperate to hear the answer to.

"Im going out... Do you wanna co with us?" Aria asked.

Sarah blinked, then smiled softly. "Ah... I’d love to, but I actually made plans to et up with soone. Been postponing it for a while now because of... y’know..."

"Oh," Aria said, glancing back at .

Sarah stepped forward and touched her arm. "Go. Seriously. You need it. I’m gonna be out in a minute myself."

Aria hesitated. I could see the war happening behind her eyes. That guilt, that sadness, the walls she built around herself.

But finally, she gave in. Just barely.

"Okay."

And just like that, I felt like I could breathe again.