Riley woke up early the next morning with a gnawing feeling in her stomach. The sun hadn't risen yet, and the early light barely pierced through her curtains. She sat up in bed, the silence of the room echoing her thoughts, her mind a tangled mess of everything that had happened between her and Zayden.
She had promised herself she would try to trust him, but each day that passed, the fear grew stronger. What would happen if she allowed herself to fall for him completely? She wasn't like the other girls at Crestwood. She was rough around the edges, hardened by life. She'd learned early on to depend only on herself, and letting someone in—especially someone like Zayden—was a risk she wasn't sure she was willing to take.
A knock on her door startled her from her thoughts. Riley hesitated for a moment, wondering who it could be at this hour. She stood up and walked to the door, opening it to find Zayden standing on the other side, his hair slightly tousled from sleep, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"Riley," he greeted her softly, stepping inside without waiting for her to say anything. "I couldn't wait until later."
"Zayden, what are you doing here?" Riley asked, trying to hide the warmth creeping into her cheeks at the sight of him standing so close.
He shrugged casually, his eyes never leaving hers. "I came to see you. We need to talk."
Her heart fluttered nervously. Was this it? Was he finally going to tell her that he couldn't do this anymore, that he was tired of waiting for her to open up? Riley braced herself for what might come next, but Zayden didn't seem to have that in mind.
"I've been thinking," he began, his tone steady but serious, "and I think we're both tired of running from what's right in front of us."
Riley's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Zayden stepped closer, his hand reaching for hers. "You're afraid, Riley. I see it. But you don't need to be. I'm not going anywhere. You can't keep fighting this between us. It's real. You feel it, too."
Her throat tightened as his words sunk in. She wanted to argue, to tell him that he didn't understand, but the truth was, she didn't know how to explain the swirling mess inside her. Her emotions, her past, and the fear of being vulnerable—she wasn't sure she had the strength to let it all go.
"Zayden," she whispered, "I don't know if I can let go of my fears. I don't know if I can trust anyone like this. Especially not you."
He smiled softly, his thumb brushing across the back of her hand. "That's okay. But I think we can work on it. We've both been through our own battles, and we've both got our scars. But we're here, together. I'm not asking you to be perfect, Riley. I'm asking you to trust me just enough to give us a chance."
Her chest tightened as she looked up into his eyes, searching for some sign of insincerity, but there was none. Zayden wasn't asking for her to change; he was simply asking her to trust that he wasn't going to break her.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Riley felt like she wasn't alone in her fight. Maybe, just maybe, she could start to let him in.
She took a deep breath and nodded slowly, her heart still pounding but her walls starting to crack. "Okay," she said quietly. "Okay, Zayden. I'll try."
He grinned, his eyes lighting up with something genuine, something she couldn't quite describe, and pulled her into a hug. It wasn't a simple gesture—it was more than that. In that moment, Riley felt something shift. Maybe she was finally ready to let someone else help carry the weight.