He turned toward her, tension snapping like a wire pulled too tight. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Avery blinked. “About what?”
“You know what.” His voice came out low, rough. “About someone watching you.”
She froze, fingers curling into her palms.
“I…Noah, I didn’t think…”
“That’s the problem,” he cut in, stepping closer. “You didn’t think. You didn’t tell me. You didn’t tell anyone.”
Her chin lifted, eyes flashing. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of nothing.”
“It wasn’t nothing.”
“I didn’t know that!” Her voice rose, frustration breaking through. “I thought I was tired. Or jumpy. You were barely talking to me then. You acted like you didn’t even want me here!”
Rook flinched, shoulders tightening.
Avery kept going, words tumbling out, raw and unfiltered. “You were angry. You wouldn’t look at me. You shut down every time I tried to talk. So why would I come running to you about something I wasn’t even sure I saw?”
Rook took a slow step toward her, chest tight. “Because I would’ve listened.”
She shook her head, arms wrapping around herself. “You barely even looked at me that first night.”
“That’s because I didn’t know how,” he shot back. “You show up after seven years, crying in the rain, and I’m supposed to just, what? Pretend I’m not losing my mind?”
Avery sucked in a breath, her shoulders softening.
Rook dragged a hand through his hair, pacing once before stopping directly in front of her. “I’m upset because you were scared. And alone. And you didn’t tell me. I’m upset because I want to keep you safe, and I can’t do that if you don’t come to me.”
Her voice softened. “Why do you care so much?”
He stared at her.
Really stared.
Her eyes were wide, searching. Her hands trembled slightly at her sides. She wasn’t challenging him; she was asking. Honestly. Vulnerably.
And the truth came out before he could stop it.
“It never went away,” he murmured. “Not once.”
Avery’s lips parted, her expression softening.
He shook his head, stepping into her space. “I didn’t plan for any of this. Didn’t want it. But you show up and everything I’ve been holding together just… snaps.”
“I feel it too,” she whispered.
The knot in his chest loosened, just a fraction, but enough to steady him.
Avery reached out, fingers brushing his forearm. Her touch was light, hesitant, but it grounded him instantly. “I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to be a burden. I didn’t want you to think I was… weak.”
Rook’s voice dropped to a low, steady rumble. “You’re not weak. And you’re never a burden. But you have to come to me. Even if you’re not sure. Even if it feels small. Even if you think I won’t care.”
Her eyes met his. “Okay.”
He exhaled, tension bleeding out of his shoulders. “And I’ll listen. I won’t snap. I won’t shut down. I’ll listen.”
