Chapter 49: He is home

Milie's POV

The coffee with Alan should have made me feel lighter.

Instead, something between us had shifted after that conversation in the car.

For the first time since we met, Alan couldn't hide what he was feeling.

There was no teasing. No ridiculous flirting. No dramatic "Mils."

Just silence. And somehow that silence affected me more than any argument could have.

Guilt sat heavily in my chest the entire drive back.

Alan never demanded anything from me. Never forced me to choose. Never made me feel cornered.

And maybe that was exactly why hurting him felt worse.

If I hadn't gotten jealous. If I hadn't reacted emotionally.

Maybe none of that awkwardness would have happened.

"Hey."

Daxton's voice pulled me out of my thoughts the second he stepped out of the locker room.

His hoodie sleeves were pushed up, his hair slightly damp. He always looked attractive like this.

"You okay?" he asked softly.

I nodded immediately, pushing my thoughts away.

"Yeah." I smiled. "I'm excited about the surprise."

He smiled widely. He then picked up my jacket from the bench nearby and wrapped it around my shoulders himself.

"You left this near the bleachers."

"Oh." I pulled it closer around me. "Thanks."

Then, naturally, like it was the most normal thing in the world, he placed his hand over my shoulder and started walking with me.

"Ready?" he asked.

I narrowed my eyes suspiciously.

"You're way too confident right now."

"That means you trust me."

The same line. The same look. The one he used whenever we were kids and about to do something questionable.

I laughed under my breath. "What are you planning?"

"You'll see."

Twenty minutes later, we were standing at an almost empty downtown bus stop.

I stared at him. "You kidnapped me for public transportation?"

"Be grateful. This is part of the experience."

"You sound broke."

"We were broke as kids too."

I burst out laughing. "That's true."

"And because we were broke…" he reached into his hoodie pocket dramatically, "…we survived on these."

My eyes widened the second he dropped the colorful packet into my hand.

"No way. Hoppi candies."

He grinned.

"Oh my God," I laughed instantly, opening the packet. "These still exist?"

"You tell me."

"I haven't had these since fourth grade."

"I know." I froze slightly. The tiny gas station near my old neighborhood was the only place that used to sell them.

"You actually went there?"

"Maybe."

"Dax… Seriously?!"

I stared at the candies again, suddenly emotional over something so stupidly small.

"I can't believe you remembered?"

"You used to cry whenever Sammy ate the last one."

"That happened once."

"It happened five times."

"Hm. Fake news."

I popped one into my mouth while looking away dramatically.

He laughed quietly beside me.

The bus arrived a minute later. I followed him inside, still confused.

"This route doesn't even go near our neighborhood. Where are we going?"

"You ask too many questions."

"You're acting suspicious."

"But you still trust me."

"Ofcourse."

We smiled, and I leaned my head on his shoulder.

Thirty minutes later, we stopped in front of a quiet suburban house.

Warm yellow lights glowed through the windows. Wind chimes swayed softly near the porch.

And the second, my eyes lifted toward the rooftop, my breath caught.

"No freaking way."

Daxton smiled slowly. "You recognize it?"

I turned toward him in disbelief. "This is our rooftop."

The rooftop we first sneaked onto on Dax's disastrous tenth birthday.

The rooftop where Sammy nearly broke his arm trying to jump across fences.

The rooftop where the three of us then spent years talking about life, school, dreams, crushes, and every stupid thought that crossed our minds.

"This can’t be real."

I looked back at him.

"The place has changed a lot. How did you even find it?"

"I never forgot it."

My throat tightened. Before I could answer, the front door opened.

An older woman stepped outside with a warm smile. "There you are."

I blinked in confusion. "You planned?"

Daxton rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I came here a few weeks ago."

My jaw dropped.

"I told them about our weird childhood rooftop obsession. They thought we sounded insane."

"We absolutely did," an older man laughed from behind her.

I burst out laughing, too. "And you still let us come?"

"You looked harmless," the woman said kindly. "Though the curly-haired friend sounded problematic.

"Sammy," both of us said together. Everyone laughed immediately.

The house felt peaceful the second we stepped inside.

And suddenly, I remembered every conversation we'd ever had on that rooftop as kids.

What our dream homes would look like. What kind of lives did we want? What would growing up feel like?

"This is exactly how I imagined it," I whispered unconsciously.

Daxton looked at me quietly. "I know."

The elderly couple insisted on feeding us before letting us upstairs.

And honestly? It felt nice, like time had slowed down for one evening.

A few minutes later, we climbed the stairs leading to the rooftop.

Only this time—No jumping fences. No hiding from security lights. No risking our lives dramatically.

"You know," I said as I stepped onto the rooftop, "this feels less exciting legally."

Daxton laughed. "Yeah. Sneaking around was more fun and thrilling."

Cold wind brushed softly against my face while city lights stretched endlessly around us.

And suddenly, everything hit me at once.

Every version of us. Every memory. Every year.

Tears blurred my vision before I could stop them.

"Hey."

Dax immediately moved closer. His thumb gently wiped beneath my eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

I laughed weakly. "I don't know. This just feels…"

"Like we time-traveled?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

We sat beside each other near the edge of the roof as we used to years ago. Our shoulders touched, and comfortable silence settled between us.

Then Dax pulled a small storage box from his backpack.

"What's that?"

"Open it."

Curious, I lifted the lid, and completely froze. Inside were pieces of our childhood.

Old movie tickets, Universal Studios wristbands, Arcade tokens. Polaroids. A broken friendship bracelet.

Even one of my old hair ties.

I stared at him in disbelief. "You kept all this?"

"You two throw away everything."

"Oh my God…" I laughed emotionally. "This is insane."

"You're welcome."

I picked up one photo after another while memories crashed into me violently.

"This was the day Sammy threw up after the roller coaster."

"He still denies he cried, but he did."

"He absolutely did." I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

And for the first time in days, my chest didn't feel heavy.

No confessions were waiting for answers. No guilt. No choosing.

Just me and Dax. Just years of knowing each other so deeply that silence itself felt familiar.

"Wait." I grabbed my phone suddenly. "We're calling Sammy."

"He'll kill us."

"Even better."

The second Sammy answered, his voice exploded through the speaker.

"YOU TRAITORS."

I flipped the camera dramatically toward the rooftop. He nearly screamed.

"No way. NO WAY."

"Yep."

"You went without me?!"

"You abandoned us for Tessa," Dax replied calmly.

"Still, you ditched me!"

I laughed so hard I nearly dropped the phone.

For the next twenty minutes, all three of us slipped back into old times. Teasing, arguing, laughing over stupid memories.

Like nothing had changed, like maybe nothing ever would.

By the time Dax walked me home later that night, the cold had gotten sharper, but my chest felt strangely calm.

For a moment, neither of us moved. Then instinctively, I hugged him.

"Thank you," I whispered. "That was one of the best nights I've had in a long time."

He hugged me back immediately. "I wanted us to remember us," he murmured.

I smiled. This was my Dax—the boy who was in almost every important memory of my life.

Maybe that's why letting things change scared me so much.

"Goodnight, Milie," he said softly.

I nodded and stepped back. "Goodnight."

I had barely taken two steps when— "Milie?"

I turned around immediately. Something about his expression had changed.

He looked nervous. "Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm?"

He hesitated for a second before smiling faintly. "What if we stop staying stuck in our old version?"

I stilled, my heart getting heavy instantly.

"What if we try to see…" He continued, "If we can become something more?"