Chapter 25

Rowan noticed him before he noticed her.

It was stupid how her body reacted before her brain caught up. The stiffening of her shoulders. The way her jaw set like she was bracing for impact. She was halfway across the quad with Lila beside her, fingers loosely tangled, when the familiar shape registered in her peripheral vision.

Tall. Broad shoulders. That stupid varsity jacket he still wore like a personality.

Evan.

Lila felt the change immediately. “What?” she asked softly, glancing at Rowan’s face.

Rowan didn’t answer right away. She exhaled through her nose. “My ex.”

Lila’s grip tightened, just a fraction. Not yanking. Not possessive in a loud way. Just… grounding.

“Oh,” Lila said. Calm, but Rowan could hear the edge beneath it. “Do you want to leave?”

“No,” Rowan said, surprising herself with how fast the answer came. “I don’t want to run.”

They kept walking.

Evan spotted her then, his expression brightening like he’d just been handed something he assumed was still his. He stepped into their path with an easy grin that made Rowan’s stomach turn, not with longing, but with recognition. She knew that smile. The one he used when he wanted something.

“Rowan Hale,” he said, eyes flicking briefly to Lila before returning to Rowan. “Didn’t think you’d talk to me again.”

“I’m not,” Rowan replied flatly.

Lila raised an eyebrow. Subtle. Sharp.

Evan chuckled like Rowan was joking. “Still got that edge. Guess some things don’t change.”

Rowan felt Lila shift closer beside her, shoulder brushing Rowan’s arm. Not confrontational. Just present.

“Actually,” Rowan said, voice steady, “a lot has changed.”

Evan’s gaze slid back to Lila, slower this time. Assessing. “Didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”

Rowan opened her mouth—

“Yes,” Lila said, smiling sweetly. “She does.”

The word does landed like a line drawn in permanent marker.

Evan blinked. “Huh.” He looked back at Rowan. “Didn’t peg you for the public thing.”

Rowan’s pulse ticked up. “You never pegged me for a lot of things.”

That wiped the grin off Evan’s face, just a little. “I was just saying hey.”

“Then say hey and go,” Lila said, still polite. Still calm. But there was something steel threaded in her tone now.

Evan scoffed softly. “Relax. I’m not stealing her back.”

Rowan laughed once, humorless. “You never had me.”

Silence.

It stretched, uncomfortable and exposed. Evan’s eyes narrowed, something defensive flashing there. “You don’t have to rewrite history.”

“I’m not,” Rowan said. “I’m finally remembering it clearly.”

Lila glanced at Rowan, surprised by the sharpness, but she didn’t interrupt.

Evan shook his head. “Whatever. Just thought you’d want to catch up.”

“No,” Rowan said. “I don’t.”

She turned away without waiting for a response, guiding Lila with her. They walked until the quad noise swallowed them again, until Rowan could breathe without feeling watched.

They didn’t stop until they reached the far edge of campus, near the old oak trees where no one lingered unless they meant to.

Lila was quiet for a moment. Then, gently, “Are you okay?”

Rowan nodded automatically. Then stopped herself. “I am now.”

Lila studied her. “You didn’t look scared.”

“I used to be,” Rowan admitted. “I’m just… tired of shrinking.”

Lila leaned back against a tree, arms crossing loosely, not closed off, just thoughtful. “He didn’t talk to you like someone who respected you.”

Rowan let out a slow breath. “That’s because he didn’t.”

There it was. The thing she usually avoided saying out loud.

Lila didn’t rush her. She waited.

Rowan stared at the ground, then forced herself to keep going. “When we dated, everything was about how it looked. What people thought. He liked that I was captain. That I made him look good.” She paused. “But anytime I tried to talk about what I wanted, really wanted, he’d joke it away. Or tell me I was overthinking.”

Lila’s expression softened, but her hands clenched at her sides.

“I stopped bringing things up,” Rowan said quietly. “Because it was easier than being told I was too much. Or confusing. Or dramatic.”

“That’s not teasing,” Lila said. “That’s minimizing.”

Rowan glanced up at her. “You don’t even know the half of it.”

Lila stepped closer—not crowding, just closing the distance. “Then tell me.”

Rowan hesitated. This was the part that still felt risky. Letting someone see the old bruises, not just the healed skin.

“He decided things for me,” Rowan said. “Where we went. Who we hung out with. What was ‘worth’ my time.” Her voice tightened. “And I let him. Because I thought that was what being easy to love meant.”

Lila’s jaw tightened. “He doesn’t get to define that.”

“I know,” Rowan said. “Now.”

Lila reached out slowly, giving Rowan time to pull away if she wanted to. When Rowan didn’t, Lila’s hand settled at her waist, warm, steady.

“I don’t want you small,” Lila said. “I don’t want you quiet. And I don’t want you with anyone who makes you feel like you have to earn space.”

Rowan swallowed hard. “You don’t.”

Lila’s thumb brushed lightly against Rowan’s side. Possessive, yes—but protective. Anchoring.

“I didn’t mean to jump in like that,” Lila added, softer. “I just—”

“I liked it,” Rowan said. “More than I expected.”

That earned her a small smile. “Good.”

They stood there for a moment, the weight of the past settling into something manageable.

“I’m not jealous of him,” Lila said finally. “I’m angry for you.”

Rowan met her eyes. “That might be even better.”

Lila laughed under her breath, then leaned in, resting her forehead against Rowan’s. “You don’t owe him politeness. Or closure. Or proof.”

“I know,” Rowan said. “I just… wanted you to understand why it took me so long to choose.”

Lila pulled back just enough to look at her. “You chose anyway.”

Rowan nodded. “I choose you.”

The words felt solid. Not rushed. Not reactive.

Lila smiled, soft, fierce, unmistakably hers. “Good. Because I’m not going anywhere.”

And for once, neither was Rowan.