Aria jolted awake, her chest tight and breath shallow, the echoes of her nightmare still clinging to her mind. The remnants of the dream, dark and blurry, twisted like shadows behind her eyelids as she tried to shake off the feeling of dread.

She rubbed her hands over her face, trying to push away the lingering sense of panic. Sleep wasn't going to come easily after that, and the thought of staying alone in her room only made her more restless.

Slipping out of bed, she reached for her laptop. Maybe writing would help—pouring her thoughts into words had always been a source of comfort, a way to take the swirling chaos inside her and mold it into something tangible.

Quietly, she padded down the stairs, each creak of the floorboards amplified in the stillness of the night. When she reached the living room, Aria settled onto the couch, letting the cool glow of her laptop screen fill the dim space.

She tried to lose herself in the story she was working on, the one that had been slowly taking shape over the past few weeks. But the nightmare kept creeping back into her thoughts, images flashing in the corners of her mind.

Her fingers hovered over the keys, hesitating. The familiar ache of loneliness tightened in her chest, even though she knew Russell, Alberta, and Jodie were just upstairs.

She exhaled deeply, trying to refocus. The story she was working on needed more depth, more honesty. Maybe she could channel what she was feeling into her characters, using their struggles to give voice to her own fears. She started typing, each keystroke a small release of tension.

But then, she heard a soft creak on the stairs. Aria froze, her fingers pausing over the keyboard. For a moment, she thought maybe she'd imagined it, but then a familiar figure appeared at the edge of the hallway.

Russell, with his tousled hair and sleep-ruffled clothes, hesitated in the doorway. His eyes, still bleary with sleep, widened slightly when he spotted her.

"Hey," he said softly, his voice a low rumble in the quiet house. "I saw the light on and thought you were working late. Are you okay?"

Aria forced a small smile, closing her laptop halfway. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... couldn't sleep, I guess."

Russell studied her for a moment, his expression softening with concern. He seemed to hesitate, like he was weighing whether or not to press her for more.

Finally, he crossed the room and sat down on the armchair across from her, folding his hands in his lap. "Mind if I keep you company for a bit? I wasn't really sleeping either."

Aria was surprised by the offer, but she found herself nodding before she could think twice about it. "Sure. I mean, if you're okay with just sitting around while I type."

He shrugged, giving her a lopsided smile. "I don't mind. Besides, it's better than lying awake, staring at the ceiling."

A comfortable silence settled between them as Aria turned back to her laptop, her fingers moving over the keys in a more relaxed rhythm now. She could feel Russell's presence like a quiet warmth beside her, and strangely, it made it easier to focus.

The quiet companionship between them felt natural, like an unspoken understanding that neither of them needed to fill the silence with empty words.

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After a few minutes, though, Russell leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You know, I get it if you don't want to talk about it, but... was it a bad dream or something?"

Aria paused, her fingers halting mid-sentence. The question caught her off guard, but there was no judgment in his tone—just genuine curiosity and concern.

She bit her lip, debating whether she should brush it off or let herself be honest. In the end, she sighed, closing her laptop completely. "Yeah, it was... pretty bad, I guess."

Russell nodded slowly, as if he understood. "You don't have to tell me what it was about, but... sometimes it helps to get things off your chest, you know?"

Aria stared at the closed laptop on her lap, tracing a fingertip over its edge.

She hadn't really talked to anyone about the things that weighed on her—not about Rian, or the doubts she had about her writing, or the nightmares that had started to creep in ever since she began feeling more lost than ever.

But Russell's gentle presence made it feel less like a burden and more like an invitation to share the load.

"It's not just the nightmare," she admitted quietly, surprising herself with the words. "I think... I think I've just been feeling stuck, you know? Like, I keep trying to move forward with my life, but it's like I'm dragging all this weight behind me that I can't shake off."

Russell watched her carefully, his expression pensive. "Is it about Rian?" he asked gently.

Aria shook her head, even though she knew part of it was. "Not really. I mean, it's weird—breaking up after five years, but not feeling anything. Like, I didn't cry, I didn't even get angry. It was like... I'd already moved on long before it ended, and now I'm just... trying to figure out what's next."

Russell leaned back in the armchair, his gaze drifting to the window where the faint light of the moon filtered through the curtains.

"I think that makes sense, though. Sometimes, you just outgrow people, even if you don't realize it right away. It doesn't mean you didn't care about them—it just means you're in a different place now."

Aria turned those words over in her mind, a strange sense of relief spreading through her. "Yeah... maybe you're right," she said softly. "But it's hard, you know? Trying to figure out who I am without all of that. Without feeling like I need to prove something to someone."

Russell's gaze returned to hers, and there was a quiet understanding in his eyes that made her feel seen in a way she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I get that," he said. "I mean, I'm only sixteen, but I think I get it. It's like... you spend so much time being one version of yourself that it's hard to know what to do when you're finally on your own."

Aria let out a quiet laugh, though there was a trace of sadness in it. "I didn't think anyone could put it that way, but yeah, that's exactly it."

For a moment, they just sat there, the quiet of the house wrapping around them like a blanket. Aria could hear the distant hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen, the soft rustle of leaves outside the window. And somehow, in that silence, she felt a little less alone.

Russell shifted in his seat, glancing over at her with a hesitant smile. "You know, it's weird... talking like this. I mean, online it's always been easy, but I never thought we'd be having this kind of conversation in real life."

Aria nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah, me neither. But I'm glad we are. It's... nice, I guess. Having someone to talk to."

Russell's smile widened, a warmth filling his eyes that made Aria's heart skip a beat. "I'm glad too, Aria. And, you know, if you ever need someone to talk to... or just someone to keep you company in the middle of the night... I'm here."

Aria met his gaze, feeling a quiet gratitude bloom in her chest. It wasn't much, but it was enough—a small, steady flame in the darkness. And maybe, just maybe, it was the start of something she hadn't even known she needed.

"Thanks, Russell," she said softly. "That means a lot."

He nodded, his expression turning a little sheepish as he glanced away. "Anytime. And hey... I might even start asking you for writing advice again."

Aria laughed softly, the sound carrying through the quiet house. "Anytime," she echoed, the word taking on a new meaning between them.

As the first hints of dawn began to creep through the window, painting the room in shades of pale blue, Aria realized that the heaviness in her chest had lifted—if only just a little.

It wasn't perfect, and it wasn't a solution to everything, but it was a start. And for the first time in a long while, that felt like enough.