Arya took her drink and sat in front of Tessa. The redhead looked up from her phone and raised a brow.

"It's been a while since we've really sat down and talked, don't you think?" Arya started.

Tessa turned off her phone and leaned forward, holding her head in her hands. "And, what did you have in mind?"

Arya sighed and then decided to open up. "A lot has happened since we've moved here. I don't think I really took the time to process all of it. The biggest change obviously being-"

"-The unbelievably adorable/ ruggedly handsome guys who've come crashing into our lives," Tessa interrupted.

Arya laughed lightly. "Yeah, them," She stopped to look down at her drink before beginning. "Do you feel like Declan is the one for you?"

Tessa looked at her friend for a long time. "Yes." She answered simply.

Arya looked at her friend. "How do you know for sure?"

"When I'm with him, there is nothing but comfort," She answered.

Arya continued to look at Tessa, wanting her to elaborate on her answer, but she looked back at Arya with an expectant gaze.

"What do you mean by that?" Arya asked, leaning forward.

Tessa sat back and sighed contently. She looked lost in her own world, a small smile playing on her lips as if she had forgotten where she was.

"It's strange, I met him in a typical biology class, but everything about him was extraordinary. Of course, I wasn't blind, and he was there looking as good as ever," She chuckled. "But it was his sense of identity that first intrigued me."

"Sense of Identity?"

"He knows exactly who he is and what he wants. There are no halves when it comes to Declan, and knowing that if I were fortunate enough to be loved by him, he would love me with everything he had," Tessa explained.

Arya nodded, knowing this much was true.

"It only got better from there. There was that one English class where he spoke openly about love and soulmates and how he looked at me, Arya. I swear it was like he knew he and I were supposed to be," Tessa continued, smiling bashfully.

Arya wasn't going to stop her now.

"He's everything I have ever wanted in a partner and more. He radiates security and warmth that invokes this calmness within me. He completely engulfs me in his flame, and you know that's exactly where I feel the safest." The smile on her face completely illuminated the room around them.

"There is simply no one else for me," She finished.

Arya looked at her for the longest time.

Davina came in and sat with them. She looked between her two friends and raised an eyebrow. "What are we girls talking about?"

Arya snapped back into focus and turned her attention toward Davina. "Boys,"

"Ahh," Davina replied, immediately standing up. "Well, I should be going-"

Tessa pulled her back down. "Not so fast,"

"Yeah, we wanna know the details. What's the deal with you and Bennett?"

Both girls leaned in with the same smile while waiting for Davina's reply.

"There's really not much to tell," She began, scratching the back of her neck. "I don't know. It's going okay,"

"Okay?" Tessa repeated.

"Yeah, okay," Davina shrugged. "You know, I'm not worried about us because I feel like I have the rest of my life to get to know him,"

"What do you mean by that?"

"What I mean is that it doesn't matter what happens to us. I know he and I are on the same journey, and we end up together. Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same,"

"Awww," The girls replied, causing Davina to roll her eyes.

Arya thought about it for a moment. "Do you think... do you think that you love him?"

"I do," She answered. "I love him. I loved him without knowing how, when, or from where. I simply love him. And it took a while to come to terms with that, but I accept it now."

The girls listened intently.

"I don't mean to sound conceited, but when I first saw him, I saw myself. I saw the best version of me in him, everything I could possibly be and have and love. Everything I never knew I wanted, and I don't know there was just something about him that made me want to be a better person, someone worthy of him loving, someone worthy of him,"

Davina continued staring down at the table as she poured her thoughts out.

"In meeting him, I felt at peace," She finished.

"That's so sweet," Arya commented after a moment.

"Yeah, who knew you could be so heartfelt," Tessa agreed.

"Yeah, yeah," Davina waved to them. She then looked back at Arya. "What about you?"

Arya laughed nervously. "What about me?"

Davina shrugged nonchalantly. "You tell us, what's going on with you?"

Arya shrugged, letting her shoulders sag. "I don't know myself," She twirled the drink in her cup as she spoke.

"It's wrong. Isn't it? To feel this way, to claim to love one and then feel this way about another,"

Both Tessa and Davina were silent.

"I don't know when I met him. It was like breathing for the first time after years of suffocation, like the first clear skies after a raging storm," Arya confessed, still not looking at either of them.

"Loving him came with no warning. He had my heart before I could say no,"

Davina leaned forward slightly. "If you love him, why don't you do something about it?" She suggested raising her eyebrow.

"I'm scared," Arya replied. "I could be content where I am, or I could risk it all and lose,"

"We can't tell you what to feel, Arya, or even what to do," Davina said.

"But," Tessa continued, looking at Davina for approval. "I'd rather love someone and lose them than never know love at all,"

Arya hummed, knowing this much was true. "What if he... what if he doesn't love me?" She whispered to her friends.

"Girl, that boy has been in love with you since your eyes met," Davina replied. "It's up to you to do something about it now."

"Your emotions never lie to you," Tessa advised.

Arya finally looked up and gave her friends a soft smile. "I see," She then stood up. "I'll see you guys later," With that, she walked away.

Davina and Tessa watched her go.

"You know that was a lie?" Tessa told her friend.

"What was?"

"That he loved her from the moment their eyes met," Tessa explained. She then looked at Davina solemnly. "It was long before that,"

******

"You're breaking up with me?"

Luke asked in the middle of the busy cafe.

Arya resisted the urge to roll her eyes and keep her leg from bouncing. She was a ball of anxiety, wanting to get this over and done with as soon as possible. She waited for him to say something else, as she thought it was rude to simply reply with a blunt yes.

Arya didn't want to be harsh. That wasn't her nature. But at the same time, she wanted to be firm and end it here and now. A clean break, that's what she wanted.

Getting Luke here was a bigger challenge than she thought. She couldn't believe it took her this long to realise this was not what she wanted from a relationship.

Moments had passed, and Arya was getting nervous. She had simply sat down and blurted out that she wanted to break up. She purposely didn't order anything just in case she wanted to leave abruptly. She could tell he genuinely didn't see this break-up coming by the slight shock on his face.

"Say something." She said softly.

Luke let out a forced laugh. "What am I supposed to say to that? My girlfriend wants to break up with me."

Arya cringed internally. She didn't like the fact he was still calling her his girlfriend.

Luke sighed and leaned forward. "What's wrong, Arya?"

He asked like she was a petulant child throwing a tantrum. It was like he was simply tired from having this conversation and from dealing with her already. It was as if he saw through her.

Arya questioned whether he had heard her the first time. "I want to break up,"

"Why?"

"Because I think we've grown apart," She grit out.

"We can fix that," He said simply, and for some reason, it pissed Arya off.

"No, Luke, I don't want to fix it. I want to end it-"

"Arya, you're being dramatic," He cut her off. "Relationships change all the time. I can't be focused on you all the time."

"You're not focused on me at all,"

"As if you are?" He countered. "You hardly call me anymore or ask to hang out. You used to always make dinner for us. You only hang out with those friends of yours recently, and you're trying to break up over this?"

Arya thought back to everything that happened over the past few months, how she and her friends risked their lives to achieve justice. They've done more than Luke ever could imagine doing.

There are some extraordinary people in the world, but Arya realised that Luke is not one of them.

Arya refused to argue with him. She was done talking to him.

"I don't care if you blame me or not. I don't want to try to work things out. I don't want to see you again," She said in a cold, deadly voice. She surprised herself by how much she sounded like Davina.

Luke took a moment to take in her words before he replied. "Who is it?"

This surprised Arya, and it must have shown on her face since Luke sat back, looking at her expectantly.

"Who is what?" She answered. She hoped she wasn't blushing.

"Don't try to lie to me," His voice was getting low, and Arya was beginning to panic.

"There isn't anyone. I am just sick and tired of this relationship, it's exhausting,"

She was not about to tell him about Jordan. He didn't deserve to know about Jordan. Anyway, Luke would get the wrong idea and run with it.

"Mhm, and did you realise this before or after you started messing around with someone else?"

"Don't you dare go there, Luke-"

"Why not? Is it Dominic?"

"No,"

Luke looked at her and then away. "I can't believe you,"

She was positive he didn't think it was Dominic. She didn't care what he thought. She just wanted to get out of that cafe as soon as possible.

She began to get up.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked as he grabbed her by her wrist.

She looked down at him with a deadly look. "I only wished I realised how shitty you were before. I don't need to be with someone who I have to beg to love me." She yanked her hand back, surprising him. "I deserve better than that. Goodbye."

With that, she left the cafe and kept walking. She realised she wasn't upset, she was more relieved. Arya felt free for the first time in a long time. She took her phone out and blocked his number. She knew Luke wouldn't dare go to her house, not with Dominic waiting for him there.

With that assurance, Arya was left wandering the streets. Before she knew it, she was in front of his apartment complex.

Arya stood outside, hesitating on whether she should knock and ask for him.

Was it too soon? Did this make her a player?

She began to feel guilty about being here, especially with what Luke insinuated.

Before she chickened out, she ran up the flights of stairs and knocked on his door breathlessly.

Jordan opened the door. He had just woken up from a nap. His hair was falling over his sleepy eyes. He wore a grey T-shirt and shorts, and to Arya, he looked perfect.

"Hi," She smiled, her mood disappearing as soon as she was in his vicinity.

"Arya? Hi," his voice was soft and slightly husky from the nap, which drove Arya insane. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to tell you something," Arya began, suddenly nervous. "I am sorry I didn't realise it sooner, but I don't want to be friends,"

She paused for a moment and took in Jordan's confused look.

"What?" He asked, panicking slightly.

She broke out into a grin. "I didn't mean it like that. Sorry for scaring you. What I mean is, I think I really like you, Jordan like really like you,"

She didn't want to say love yet and scare him off, but that's where she was headed with her feelings for him.

She didn't get the reaction she was hoping for. She thought he would be slightly happier at being told she liked him. Arya looked at Jordan's pained reaction.

"Say something," She said in a small voice. She noted the irony of asking Luke the same thing a while ago. However, this was vastly different, and she actually cared what Jordan would say.

Maybe she had read the situation wrong, and Jordan really did just see her as a friend, and she just ruined everything by admitting she was practically in love with him.

Arya thought about how difficult it would be to change her identity and move to Guam.

Jordan stood there scarily still for him. He made no reaction other than a slight look of pain as he slowly rubbed his hand over his face.

"Arya," he groaned. She wasn't expecting that. "You're killing me,"

Arya opened her mouth slightly. Not understanding at all.

"I don't get it," She said.

Jordan grabbed her by both shoulders. "It is no surprise how much I like you," he said like it physically hurt him to say this. "But you have a boy-"

"Oh, I broke up with-"

She laughed as he grabbed her and picked her up, spinning her in the process.

"Start with that! God dammit, woman!"

They both laughed.

His eyes crinkled in the corners as he smiled, and Arya loved seeing his face cupped in her hands.

"I am sorry, I should have led with that. I honestly forgot it was an important detail because I hadn't been thinking about him at all," She said as he put her down.

Jordan grabbed her waist, walking backwards. He led her into the apartment, only stopping for her to take off her shoes.

His mom would have killed him otherwise.

"And who have you been thinking about?" He asked her in a low murmur.

Arya was falling fast.

"You," She said without missing a beat.

Jordan had led them to the couch. He didn't even bother going around to sit on it properly. He fell backwards over the armrest and took Arya with him.

"I'll be honest with you. I was starting to think I would never get a chance with you." He told her with surprising honesty.

Arya loved how he didn't care about being vulnerable around her. One thing about Jordan is that he never tried to act cool. He felt every emotion with the same intensity, and Arya loved that. She knew he loved her. She didn't have to guess.

"I wished I'd seen it before," She apologised. "But I want to be with you, Jordan," She looked down.

Jordan's grin was blinding. He had waited so long for this, and the pining was almost worth it, hearing those words. He didn't realise what people meant when they said they could fly, but he finally felt like he could take on the world.

"I'm only surprised at how long you waited for me," She chuckled self-depreciatingly. "I'm sure there are other girls who would've seen how amazing you are sooner."

"No. Don't do that, Arya," Jordan soothed, running his hand through her hair. Gosh, he'd wanted to do that for so long. "The possibility of you is better than the reality of someone else."

Arya stared at him for a really long time. She felt as if she could cry from the love she felt for him.

How did he continually get better?

Arya watched Jordan's eyes search her face. The air had changed around them. Arya had fallen with Jordan on the couch, and she only now became aware of the proximity. A blush graced her face as one of Jordan's hands held her waist, the other lingering in her hair.

His face was focused, zeroed in on hers. All she had to do was lean in slightly and-

"I'm home! Hi! Who are you?"