The rain was relentless, tapping against the roof of the car like a thousand tiny reminders of the time. Dick sat there for a moment longer, the engine off, Aria curled against his chest, her breath warm where it soaked through his shirt.

She’d fallen asleep in the backseat mid-sentence, a soft mumble about a cartoon she’d watched earlier. He didn’t want to wake her. But he didn’t want to linger either.

Andrea opened the door before he knocked. Hoodie on, sleeves pushed up, hair tied back—familiar in all the wrong ways. She looked at him, then at Aria, then stepped aside without a word.

He walked in.

“Out cold,” he said quietly, adjusting Aria slightly so she wouldn’t stir. “She had a big day.”

Andrea nodded. Still no words.

He hated how easy the silence was. How normal it had become. He laid Aria down on the couch, brushing a strand of hair from her face, then straightened up and finally looked at Andrea again.

“I’ll head out in a bit,” he said, voice low.