Rea didn't talk to Aster again for the rest of the weekend.
She told herself it was for the best. That stepping into that fight had been a mistake, a moment of impulsiveness she wouldn't repeat.
But then Monday came.
And Aster was waiting.
She saw him by the lockers before first period, leaning casually against the wall like he wasn't causing every girl who walked by to sneak glances at him.
Rea hesitated.
She could turn around, pretend she hadn't seen him. But before she could move, Aster's gaze flicked to hers.
A slow smirk curled his lips.
Too late.
"You avoiding me, new girl?" he asked as she reluctantly stopped in front of her locker.
Rea focused on spinning the combination lock. "No."
"Really? Because I think you are."
She exhaled sharply. "I was just—"
"Let me guess," he interrupted. "Busy?"
She turned, crossing her arms. "Yes."
Aster raised an eyebrow. "With what?"
She opened her mouth, then closed it.
His grin widened. "That's what I thought."
Rea huffed, shutting her locker. "Why are you even talking to me?"
Aster tilted his head. "Why not?"
"Because you don't talk to people," she pointed out.
His smirk faltered, just for a second. Then it was back. "You're not 'people.' You're Rea."
She blinked.
Something about the way he said her name made her pulse stutter. Like it meant something.
Like she meant something.
Aster studied her for a moment, then pulled something from his pocket and held it out.
A granola bar.
She stared at it. "What...?"
"You didn't eat at lunch on Friday," he said simply. "Figured you might actually eat if I gave you something."
Rea opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She hadn't even realized he'd noticed.
Slowly, she reached out and took it. "Thanks."
Aster shrugged. "No big deal."
It was a big deal.
But she didn't say that.
Instead, she watched as Aster shoved his hands into his pockets and walked off like he hadn't just done something that left her completely speechless.
Rea stared down at the granola bar in her hand.
Maybe avoiding Aster Westwood had never been an option.
---
She sat with Elena and Milo at lunch, like always.
Elena was ranting about a math test, Milo was sketching, and Rea... was distracted.
"You're acting weird," Elena said suddenly, pointing a fry at her. "What's up?"
Rea blinked. "Nothing."
Elena narrowed her eyes. "Liar."
Milo glanced up. "She's been like this since she got here."
"I knew it." Elena slammed her hands on the table. "Spill."
Rea hesitated.
She hadn't planned on telling them about Aster. About the fight. About the granola bar still sitting in her bag.
But this was Elena and Milo.
So she told them.
Elena listened with a deepening frown. "He gave you food?"
"That's what you're focusing on?" Milo asked dryly.
"Yes! Because that's weird for Aster Westwood. He doesn't do things like that."
Rea shifted. "It was just a granola bar."
Elena shot her a look. "No, it wasn't."
Milo nodded. "She's right. It was a sign."
"A sign?" Rea repeated.
"A sign that you've been marked."
Rea blinked. "...What?"
Milo smirked. "Once Aster Westwood takes an interest in you, there's no going back."
Elena snorted. "That sounded way creepier than it needed to."
Milo just shrugged.
Rea shook her head. "He's not interested in me."
Elena and Milo exchanged a look.
"What?" Rea demanded.
Elena grinned. "You'll see."
---
By the time school ended, Rea was convinced she was imagining things.
Aster wasn't interested in her.
He was just... Aster.
But then she walked into the parking lot.
And he was there.
Leaning against his car, arms crossed, watching her.
Like he'd been waiting.
Rea hesitated. "Are you—"
"Come on." He jerked his head toward the passenger seat.
She frowned. "What?"
"I'm giving you a ride."
She blinked. "I didn't ask for a ride."
Aster smirked. "Didn't say you did."
Rea opened her mouth, then closed it. "Why?"
Aster shrugged. "Because I feel like it."
She should have said no.
But she didn't.
She didn't know why.
Maybe because, for the first time, someone wasn't trying to push her into the background.
Maybe because Aster Westwood saw her.
And maybe—just maybe—she wanted to see where that led.