Page 138 of The Rookie

Avery finally nods, her voice a little too casual. "Sure. That sounds great."

Cassie blinks. “I still don’t understand how you two were rooming together.”

Avery laughs, awkward. "Yeah, long story. Program cuts I guess.”

Cassie raises an eyebrow. "How did you not kill each other?"

"It was a close call," I say, deadpan. "But we managed."

Cassie shakes her head, laughing. "I don’t know how you do it, Avery."

Neither do I.

Back in the room, Avery’s stuff is scattered everywhere—clothes draped over chairs, shoes in random corners, her journal still sitting on the nightstand.

We start packing in silence, the air between us thick and heavy, like neither of us wants to address the obvious.

That this is it.

I grab her journal, running my thumb along the edge of it, flipping through the pages absentmindedly.

I stop on one of the entries—the one I’d read earlier this week. The one about her fantasies.

The real Avery.

Not the version she shows the world.

The version who dreams big, who wants everything, who lets herself believe—at least on paper—that she can have it all.

I close the journal and hand it to her, my fingers brushing hers.

She freezes, her eyes flicking up to mine.

"You should keep writing," I say softly.

She swallows, her voice quiet. "You think so?"

"I know so." I step back, clearing my throat, forcing a smirk. "Who else am I gonna borrow inspiration from?"

Her lips twitch, her eyes flicking down to the journal, then back to me. "Thanks, Knox."

And that’s it.

But it doesn’t feel like enough.

Not when I know this is the last time I’ll see her like this—unguarded, unfiltered, mine.

When we finish moving her stuff to Cassie’s room, Avery leans against the doorframe, watching as Cassie digs through her bag.

"So," Cassie says, her voice muffled. "What’s the plan for tonight? Drinks? Dancing? Something fun?"

She glances at both of us, oblivious to the tension.

Avery forces a smile. "Sure, Cass. That sounds great."

I nod, my jaw tight. "Whatever you want."

Cassie grins. "Perfect! Let’s meet in the lobby in an hour. I “just need to freshen up after that flight.”

---