Chapter 44: Almost Yes

Milie's POV

"If we hadn't gotten this close… maybe none of this would have happened." My own words echoed in my head long after we started walking back.

Alan didn't say anything after that. He just agreed, nodded, smiled faintly, and walked ahead.

That smile stayed with me. It didn't feel right.

"Milie?" Sammy's voice pulled me back as we reached the vacation house. I didn't even realize.

"Where did you disappear?" he asked, studying my face. "You okay?"

I nodded. I wasn't okay. He too knew. He didn't push me. Instead, he hugged me and let me retire to my room.

"Bye," I said without glancing at any of the boys.

The rest of the trip felt hollow.

Sammy tried. He really did, running between Dax and me as he could somehow glue us back together.

But nothing worked. Neither did he come to see me, nor did I have the courage to go to him until we all packed to go back home.

Dax took the front seat. Sammy sat beside me.

Alan… Emma… Tessa… filled the middle. They were trying their best to charm Alan.

But my world had narrowed down to just one person. Dax.

From the backseat, my eyes stayed on him. His face was completely drained.

Like he hadn't slept. Like something inside him had collapsed.

I was no more angry at him. I was now hurting for him.

"Six years is a long time to carry something like that." Alan's words had constantly echoed in my head.

If he hadn't spoken to me… I didn't know what I would have done.

Maybe I would have stayed angry.

Maybe I would have broken something that could never be fixed again.

By afternoon, the car stopped at a highway restaurant.

"Order fast, guys!" Tessa called out, pulling a chair.

Emma laughed, already scrolling through the menu. "Alan, you're choosing for me."

Alan just nodded, barely looking up. Something in my chest tightened.

He didn't look at me once. Not even by mistake. Since that night, he too kept his distance.

"Where's Dax?" Sammy asked, glancing around. My eyes jumped to Sammy.

"I think he went towards the car," Tessa said casually. "Said he'll be back."

My fingers curled slightly. He hadn't come in. He wasn't coming.

A quiet panic rose in my chest.

"I'll check," Sammy said, pushing his chair back.

"No." The word slipped out before I could think. "I'll go."

The walk to the parking felt longer than it was. Each step heavier than the last.

And then I saw him. Near the back of the car, standing still, looking at nothing.

Like the world had paused around him.

My throat tightened. For a second, I just stood there.

No matter what changed, he was still my Dax. I couldn't stay away from him.

"Do you really think I can eat without you?" My voice came out softer than I expected.

He froze, and then turned. The moment his eyes met mine, something inside him broke.

"Milie…" Before I could react, he closed the distance and pulled me into him, tightly, desperately.

Like I might disappear. And instinctively, I held him back.

Because this was how we are, this was us.

"You can't do that," I whispered. "You can't just disappear like that."

"And you can't ignore me," his voice cracked. "Not even for a second. I can't take it."

"I wasn't ignoring you—"

"Then what was that?" he pulled back slightly, his hands still gripping my arms. "You asked me to stay away. You ran like I—"

His voice broke. "Like you were scared of me."

The words hit deeper than I expected, because a part of me had been.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "I didn't know how to react."

His eyes searched mine. "And now?"

I didn't answer immediately. Because I still didn't know.

"I just can't see you like this," I said instead.

His expression softened for a second. "I'm trying, Milie," he whispered. "I swear I'm trying… but I can't—"

He swallowed hard. "I can't watch you with him. Or anyone else."

The words landed heavy between us. And just like that—everything shifted again.

I took a small step back, not enough to hurt him, but enough to breathe.

"Dax…" I said softly, "don't do this."

"Don't what?"

"Don't turn this into something it's not."

A flicker of frustration crossed his face. "It already is something, Milie."

"No," I shook my head. "It's you feeling something."

"And you don't?"

I opened my mouth, and closed it again, because the truth wasn't simple.

I felt a lot for him, but surely not the way he wanted me to.

"I care about you," I said finally. "More than anyone."

His gaze didn't move.

"If I still matter the most to you… why does it feel like I'm no longer your first choice?"

His voice dropped. And that broke something inside me.

Before I could stop myself, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him.

"That's not true, Dax."

His arms came around me again, tighter this time. Like he had found something to hold on to, and maybe he had.

But I couldn't let him misunderstand it. I pulled back slowly and looked at him.

His eyes were full again with hope, and that scared me more than his pain.

"Dax…" My voice trembled. "Don't ask me for something I don't feel."

Everything in him stilled.

"I can't lie to you," I added softly. "Not when you matter this much to me."

His grip loosened slightly, not completely.

"Then what am I supposed to do?" he asked. There was no anger, no frustration, just helplessness.

"Stay…" I whispered. "Like we were. If you can."

"And if I can't?" he asked, broken.

My throat tightened.

"Then don't make me choose like this."

Silence stretched between us.

"I won't," he said. "But give me a chance."

I looked at him, at the hope he hadn't let go of, at the love he wasn't hiding anymore.

And for a moment, I didn't have the strength to break it again.

So I said nothing. And somehow, that was enough for him.

He pulled me into another hug, warmer this time, like he had found hope to hold on to.

But as I stood there, I felt the quiet discomfort settling deep inside.

Because I hadn't given him an answer. Not really. And yet he had taken one.

For him, this was hope.

For me, it felt like the beginning of something I didn't fully understand.

Something I wasn't ready for. Something that could change everything between us.