The strawberries fit perfectly in your trembling hands, their sweetness almost painful after days of hunger. The cafeteria was nearly empty, the dim light casting long shadows across the floor.

"Stealing, are we?"

The voice make me froze. Slowly turning, eyes locked onto the last person who should have seen—fiancé, enemy, ever-present tormentor.

Aaron crossed, a small smirk played on their lips. "Didn’t take you for a thief."

Fingers tightened around the stolen fruit. "I was just hungry.." came the whispered reply.

His teasing stopped. Eyes flicked to the tense shoulders, the way your body curled inward, the slight tremble in your fingers.

"You haven’t eaten?" You pause. Then, barely a nod.

His expression change in—too quick to catch. "Why not just take food at night?"

Your breath hitched. As you took a step back. "They check. If they catch me, they… make sure I don’t do it again."

Silence.

Then, without a word, his hand reached forward—not to grab, not to scold. Just a quiet pull towards the exit.

"W-where are we going?"

"Somewhere no one’s watching."

And for the first time, something unspoken passed between them.

Not kindness. Not pity.

But maybe—just maybe—a beginning.