a week had passed since the kiss, the one moment they both silently acknowledged but refused to speak about. alexandra had told herself not to dwell on it, but it lingered, a quiet hum under the surface of everything. she hadn't seen nick since then, at least not in any meaningful way. she kept herself busy with her life, with her commitments, her promise to keep her distance from the tangled mess of emotions that always seemed to follow her.

she had made a promise to herself that she wouldn't keep getting caught up in other people's drama. and yet, there she was—living in that delicate balance between keeping her word to nick's mother and the quiet ache that echoed through her heart whenever she thought of him. it was a constant struggle, one that she didn't know how to navigate. she wanted to be there for him, to keep her promise to his mother that she would help keep him grounded, but at the same time, she didn't want to find herself tangled up in his world again.

nick, meanwhile, was in a constant state of distraction. when he returned home after that night, when everything between him and alexandra had shifted but nothing was ever said aloud, he found himself drowning in questions from noah. noah had noticed his strange distance, his focus on something that wasn't there in the room with them. his mind was not on noah's words or the plans they had made for the future—it was on alexandra. every glance, every word that noah spoke, felt hollow, as if nick could barely hear them. all he could think about was her. he couldn't shake the image of her smile, the way her eyes had softened when they kissed, or the electric warmth that had surged between them. it was too much. it was all too much to process.

noah, sensing the tension, had texted jenna and alexandra, letting them know that her ex, dan, was now in england. but it didn't matter to alexandra. she had made it clear that she couldn't afford to care about anything that wasn't hers to fix. dan's presence, the history that he carried with him, didn't concern her anymore. there was no room for it in her life. but even as she turned away from the drama surrounding her, she couldn't ignore the pull of the promises she had made—to his mother, to herself. she showed up, when she could, at the races and the fights, making sure that nick stayed as far from danger as possible, not allowing him to touch the wheel or the tape that would lead him into a brutal fight.

but still, the weight of their unspoken words, the tension between them, had never really gone away.

it was on one of those nights, when the house was filled with the echo of arguments between noah and dan, that nick had reached his breaking point. the noise, the anger—it all became too much for him to bear. he knew what he had to do. he needed to find his safe place. and in his heart, he knew that place was alexandra. it had always been alexandra.

he didn't know what he was going to say when he knocked on her door, or why he was standing there at all. maybe it was the familiarity of her space, the sense of comfort he had always found in her presence. maybe it was the ache that had settled deep inside him, the ache he couldn't quiet no matter how many times he tried to ignore it. whatever the reason, he stood at her door, his knuckles hovering above the wood before he finally knocked.

a few moments passed before the door opened, and the housekeeper greeted him with a knowing smile. she had always known about the connection between the two of them, even when they had tried to hide it from the world. she stepped aside, letting him pass.

"she's in her room," she said with a small, understanding look.

nick nodded, not quite sure what to say. "thank you," was all he managed before he turned and walked down the hallway toward her room. each step felt heavier than the last, as though he was walking toward something inevitable.

he knocked softly on her door, and when her voice called out in response, he opened it to find her sitting at her desk, her attention focused on her macbook. her brow was furrowed in concentration, the screen reflecting the soft light that filled the room. she didn't seem to notice him at first, lost in her work. when she finally looked up, surprise flickered in her eyes.

"oh. hi," she said, a little taken aback by his sudden appearance.

"hi," nick replied, his voice slightly hoarse. he shifted on his feet, unsure of what to say. "i just came here because..." he trailed off, the words failing him. he couldn't find an excuse, couldn't explain why he was there. maybe there was no reason at all. maybe it didn't matter.

"it's fine," alexandra said, her voice softening as she pushed aside her work and made room for him on the bed. "we can just hang out."

he nodded, grateful for the easy way she welcomed him in. they fell into a familiar rhythm, the kind of quiet, comfortable silence that only old friends could share. the conversation flowed effortlessly, just as it always had between them, and before they knew it, hours had passed.

when alexandra finally glanced at the clock, she realized it was already dinner time. she hesitated for a moment, the polite words forming on her lips. "do you want to eat with me?" she asked. "my mom's not back yet."

he smiled faintly, relieved by the simplicity of the invitation. "yeah, i'd like that."

they went downstairs together, the familiar motions of preparing dinner grounding them both. the air was easy between them, the tension of the past week slipping away with each shared glance, each quiet word. they sat down to eat, the table set for just the two of them. it was like nothing had changed, like they were still the same two people who had laughed together and talked for hours in the past.

the meal was simple, but the warmth of it, the quiet companionship they shared, made everything feel right. it felt like they had returned to something they had lost—a moment in time when everything between them was uncomplicated, before the weight of their emotions had pulled them in different directions.

( © SOLXSTRS 2025 )