Ajax stood by the window of the old study hall, bookshelves looming like silent witnesses, the afternoon light cutting elegant lines across his face.

His beanie cast shadows over his tangled curls, hiding the restless snakes beneath. He watched Enid from a distance, her laughter light as she walked beside Bruno through the courtyard. She seemed different now, brighter, freer, like she’d found a rhythm to herself he couldn’t follow.

He clenched his fists, knuckles white against his sides. Every beat of his heart felt heavy with what he’d lost, what she was letting slip away. She wasn’t cruel. She’d tried to explain, told him she’d changed over the summer. He understood it, maybe, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.

When she tucked her arm into Bruno’s, close and casual, the ache twisted tighter in him. He turned away before the heat of his gaze could betray him. He didn’t want to make it about him. He just… missed what they had. The awkward jokes, the lopsided smiles, the way she used to look at him.

This wasn’t the pedestal he’d built her up on anymore. She was real, changing, moving forward. And he… wasn’t sure he could catch up.