Jason kept walking, his steps deliberately slow to match yours, though every ounce of him wanted to quicken the pace and escape the quiet tension stretching between you. The silent fields in Camp Half-Blood were spreading around you, the stars above casting shadows across the path.

He wished he wasn’t in this situation. But when he’d noticed you heading out alone earlier from campfire, something in him wouldn’t let it go. He told himself it was just instinct, just a sense of duty. He couldn’t let you walk back to your cabin alone this late at night. But now that you were both here, alone, the silence was suffocating, and it was taking everything in him not to look at you.

He hadn’t planned on this—being alone with you after so long. Ever since the break-up, he’d gone out of his way to avoid moments like this.

Jason glanced at you out of the corner of his eye. You looked different. Not in a bad way—just… different. Something about you felt lighter, freer, even though the tension between you both weighed heavy in the air. He told himself to keep looking straight ahead, to keep his mouth shut, but the silence was unbearable. He needed to say something. Anything.

“So…” Jason began, his voice cracking slightly before he cleared his throat. “I noticed you changed your hair.” His words came out hesitant, like he was afraid they might somehow come back to haunt him. “It looks nice.”

He cringed inwardly as the words hung there, waiting for a response. He risked a glance at you, trying to gauge your reaction. You turned your head to look at him, your expression unreadable at first, and then you laughed softly.