Someone changed my clothes.
The thought makes my skin crawl. I look down—pajamas, soft and unfamiliar. I don’t remember putting them on.
“I changed you,” Aubrey says gently, reading my face. “At the hospital. A nurse was there to help. We asked first, but you were pretty out of it. You said okay, but I don’t know if you remember. I hope that’s?—”
“Thank you.” The relief is sharp, almost painful. “Thank you for not letting?—”
“Never,” Aubrey says fiercely. “I wasn’t leaving you. Not for a second.”
A knock at the door.
I flinch. Hard. My whole body locks.
Aubrey’s hand squeezes my shoulder. “It’s just Kieran. I texted him you were awake. Do you want me to tell him to come back later?”
My heart hammers against my ribs.
But I shake my head. “No. It’s okay.”
Aubrey stands and opens the door.
Kieran steps inside like he’s bracing for impact. His usual steel-blue presence feels muted today—all sharp edges and careful quiet, like he’s afraid one wrong move will shatter something.
He stops beside my bed but doesn’t sit. He crouches, eye-level, forearms braced on his knees.
“Hey, Rules.”
His voice lands copper-blue. Careful. Reverent.
Aubrey touches my shoulder. “I’ll go grab food. You two talk.”
She slips out, closing the door softly behind her.
Kieran watches me like I might disappear. “How do you feel?”
“Floaty. Tired.” I swallow. “Embarrassed.”
His head snaps up. “Don’t.” The word is rough. “Don’t do that to yourself.”
“The bottle was sealed. I should’ve?—”
“No.” His voice slices clean and sure. “This is not on you. You did nothing wrong. Reed tried to—” His jaw clenches. “This is on him. Not you.”
I look at him properly for the first time. He’s wearing thesame clothes as last night. His knuckles are bandaged. Dark circles under his eyes. He looks wrecked.
“You didn’t sleep,” I murmur.
He shrugs. “Didn’t feel like it.”
“What happened?” I ask quietly. “After you—after you stopped him on the stairs. What happened to Reed?”
Kieran’s jaw works. “I hit him. Riley and Dalton pulled me off.” He looks down at his bandaged knuckles. “Then I carried you out. We went to the ER. They ran tests, kept you for observation. You were stable, just...out.”
“And Reed?”
“Dalton and Riley kept him at the party until we left. Then they let him go.” His voice goes flat. “He went home.”
“He’s still—” My throat tightens. “He’s still on campus.”
