Midnight Confessions Under the Stars

Elara's heart was still racing as she stared at Damien standing outside her window. The dim glow of the streetlights cast long shadows over his sharp features, making his usual unreadable expression even more enigmatic.

"Are you going to let me in, or do you prefer to have a full conversation through the window?" Damien asked, raising an eyebrow.

Elara hesitated. "You do realize it's past midnight, right? And that this is borderline trespassing?"

He smirked, crossing his arms. "If you don't want to get caught, you should probably hurry up and let me in."

She sighed, glancing at her sleeping roommate before slowly unlocking the window. Damien climbed in with ease, landing silently on the wooden floor. Once inside, he straightened up, adjusting the sleeves of his hoodie as he scanned her room.

"Did you seriously come here just to chat?" Elara whispered, arms crossed.

"Not exactly," he replied, his gaze settling on her. "I figured you could use some fresh air."

She scoffed. "So your solution was to break into my room?"

He chuckled softly, then gestured toward the window. "Come on."

Elara followed his gaze and realized what he meant. The fire escape. He wanted her to climb out and join him.

She hesitated. It was reckless, definitely not something she would normally do. But then again, she had spent her entire life playing it safe, and where had that gotten her? Trapped in her own overthinking, unsure of what she truly wanted.

Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her jacket and followed him out onto the fire escape.

The rooftop was quiet except for the distant hum of the city. The cool night air brushed against her skin as she took a seat on the ledge beside Damien. From up here, the world felt smaller, as if all the chaos of her thoughts had been left behind on the ground below.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Damien finally spoke.

"You're different lately."

Elara glanced at him. "Different how?"

He leaned back on his hands, his gaze fixed on the sky. "Distracted. Like you're stuck in your own head."

She let out a dry laugh. "That obvious, huh?"

"To me? Yeah."

She sighed, pulling her knees to her chest. "I just… I feel like I'm at a crossroads. And I don't know which path to take."

Damien tilted his head, studying her. "Is this about Theo?"

Elara stiffened. "Why does everyone assume that?"

He smirked. "Because he wears his feelings on his sleeve. And you—" he paused, his gaze intensifying, "—you pretend you don't notice."

Elara swallowed hard, her heart pounding. "It's not that simple."

"It never is."

She turned away, staring at the city lights below. "If I make the wrong choice, I could ruin everything."

Damien was quiet for a moment before saying, "Or you could find exactly what you've been looking for."

His words sent a shiver down her spine. There was something about the way he spoke, calm yet knowing, like he could see straight through her defenses.

She exhaled slowly. "And what about you? You're always so put together. Do you ever struggle with this kind of stuff?"

Damien let out a low chuckle. "I'm not as put together as you think."

Elara looked at him, waiting for him to elaborate, but he only smirked, as if daring her to dig deeper.

"You like keeping people guessing, don't you?" she muttered.

"Only when it's entertaining."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the small smile that formed on her lips.

They sat in silence for a while, the quiet of the night settling between them like an unspoken understanding. Elara found herself feeling lighter, as if just talking about her worries—even in vague terms—had taken some of the weight off her shoulders.

After what felt like an eternity, Damien finally stood up. "You should get some sleep."

Elara sighed, standing as well. "Yeah, probably."

She followed him back to the fire escape, and as she climbed through the window, she turned back to him. "Damien?"

He looked at her expectantly.

"Thanks," she said softly.

He gave her a small, knowing smile. "Anytime."

And with that, he disappeared into the night, leaving Elara alone with her thoughts—and a heart that was more confused than ever.