H E R M I A

The silence in the jeep was almost comfortable.

Almost.

I leaned against the window, my fingers tracing invisible lines on the foggy glass. The sun had started to dip behind the hills, leaving everything dipped in that orange-pink glow. The kind of light that makes silence feel poetic, even when your mind's full of noise.

Aaron hadn't said much since we left his mom's place. I didn't blame him. I leaned my head against the window and tilted it to get a look at him.

"Your mom's not what I expected," I said, mostly to break the quiet.

He glanced at me. "Same-" he rolled his eyes afterwards.

"She didn't seem cold." I quickly added.

"She didn't used to be nice," he glanced at me. "You handled her well."

That made me chuckle. "I did?"

Silence was the response I got. However he set his eyes ahead like he was not really here. Something was on his mind. It was awkward for me. Usually I'm not the type to carry a conversation along. But I didn't like the quiet. I wanted to interact with him. When he didn't speak again, I adjusted myself in the seat and sat up.

I gave a small shrug. "Didn't want to make things worse."

"You didn't," his voice dropped an octave and barely looking over his shoulder, he shrugged to effect. "You helped."

You helped.

Something in the way he said those words made my heart flutter. Not loudly, not all at once, but like the quiet click of a key turning in the right lock. My breath caught and for a second, it was like something invisible and tender had reached between us and gently pulled.

What the heck?

I felt heat rise in my cheeks before I could make sense of it. When he glanced at me, I quickly looked out the window before he could see the sudden bloom of something I hadn't expected.

But it didn't really help. This was strange.

The last thing I'd expect myself to do was to turn around, folding my legs up on the seat. and look at him again. But I was secretly glad I did.

God. He's fine.

His jaw was tight, but his eyes were tired. Sad, even. The kind of sadness you carry around like a second skin.

"You okay?" I asked without even planning to.

He looked at me. I could see he wanted to say yes. I didn't mean to but immediately, my eyes hooded in suspicion and I raised my brows.

My intimidating look.

He chuckled and shook his head.

Wasn't that supposed to scare him?

"No," he answered. "But... thanks for coming."

His voice had dropped a little. Softer.

"You're not welcome." I was meant to say in a cold voice but a smile was fighting its way onto my lips.

He laughed heartily. "I expected a sarcastic reply." His Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

Gosh. That sound... That sight...

I looked out the window again, my heart still a little jumpy, fighting my smile. This was new territory. I was used to seeing him as that nerd whom I gave sharp remarks which were returned with guarded smiles. And I definitely wasn't used to letting someone in.

Suddenly, he slowed the jeep and turned off into a dirt trail that curved up a hill. I gave him a look, but he just nodded toward the top.

"I used to come here to think."

He didn't explain further. I wanted to ask if he meant when he came to see his estranged mother. It didn't add up though because I knew they've probably not visited each other in years. But I didn't ask any questions.

The engine cut, and before I could unbuckle my seatbelt, he was already out, walking around to my side. He opened the door, his hand reaching for mine-not forcefully, just a quiet invitation. I hesitated, but then I let him pull me out.

The grass was cool beneath our feet as we climbed the short slope. The wind stirred my hair, and the town below glittered faintly like spilled light. We didn't talk. He didn't let go of my hand either. For a reason, I just enjoyed the warmth and didn't pull away. When we reached the top, he finally stopped and lowered himself to the ground. I did the same.

"This used to feel like the only place that made sense," he said, voice low.

I didn't know what to say to that, but something in his tone made my chest tighten. I glanced at him, his profile in the dying light, the faint crease between his brows. My heart did that odd flutter again.

Quiet. Unsteady. Like something waking up.

"It's peaceful," I admitted.

He nodded. "I don't usually bring people here."

That made my chest tighten a little again. I didn't know why.

The quiet between us was different now. Thicker, charged somehow. My heartbeat faltered and picked up again in a stuttered rhythm. I avoided his gaze, letting my hair fall over half my face to hide what I was sure was a deep, humiliating shade of crimson.

Deep breaths, Hermia...

I swallowed the lump in my throat and finally looked up at him. "You're... different when you're not being annoying," I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

He smiled, just a little. "So are you. When you're not trying to bite someone's head off."

I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head. "Fair enough."

Silence followed. But this time, I didn't mind it. I liked it. It was peaceful, like the air had softened around us.

I turned away from him and let my eyes scan the view. From up here, the town stretched like a painted blur-flickering lights, distant rooftops, trees swaying beneath a sky stained mauve and gold. The wind was colder now, brushing against my skin in teasing waves. I wrapped my arms tighter around myself, dismissing the chill even as goosebumps rose along my arms.

Still, I didn't move. I didn't want to break whatever this was.

Then he stepped closer.

Without a word, he reached out and extended his hoodie to me. The gesture caught me off guard. Quiet. Intimate.

"This..." I started, unsure how to phrase the sudden warmth in my chest.

He frowned. "You're shivering."

I didn't realize I was shivering until I looked down and noticed my arms had goosebumps. I let out a nervous chuckle.

"Um, yeah. It's cool. We'll leave soon anyway. So, no, it's fine-"

I didn't get to finish. He leaned in and, without a word, wrapped his hoodie around me. Our fingers brushed and that tiny, electric zing hit low in my stomach.

Neither of us moved first.

His hand lingered, just long enough to make me wonder if he'd felt it too.

I looked down, lips parting.

"Um, you ever think about how weird it is," I murmured, without thinking, "that some moments feel like they're supposed to mean something?"

He didn't speak, so I kept going, voice softer. "Like right now. We're barely saying anything, but it feels... loud in here."

He exhaled, almost a laugh. "Yeah. Like the air's listening."

I smiled faintly, but the tightness in my throat surprised me. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say. Just that I didn't want the moment to vanish.

"If... I said I felt something, would that make me crazy?" I asked, staring into his blue eyes.

His eyes didn't waver. "No. Just honest."

"Do you...?"

I couldn't finish. The words got stuck somewhere between my ribs and I bit my lips.

Shut up already Hermia.

I looked away, biting back the flutter in my chest.

"I think I get you," he said, barely above a whisper.

When I turned back to him, there was something new in his expression. A frown, soft but real, like he was sorting through thoughts he couldn't explain.

For a second, I wanted to close the space between us. Not for anything dramatic. Just to touch warmth. To say, without words, I see you.

Instead, I gave him a small smile, one I wasn't sure he understood.

And we stayed like that. In silence.

Two people who barely knew each other, yet somehow knew enough.

I had a weird feeling that something had changed.

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