It had been a few weeks since Jay Alden's renewed involvement in Helena and Selena's lives. What started as casual conversations in the hallways and passing remarks in the classrooms had slowly morphed into something more substantial.
Jay found himself drawn to the Willis sisters, especially Helena, in ways that surprised him.
Helena was... different. There was an unspoken strength about her, a quiet resilience he admired. But there was also a mystery, a sense that something weighed heavily on her, even if she never let it show. He wanted to understand that side of her.
It was late afternoon when Jay found Helena sitting on the stone bench in the school courtyard, her sketchbook open but untouched beside her. Her gaze was far away, lost in thought, her shoulders hunched slightly as if carrying an invisible burden.
Jay approached cautiously, the sound of his footsteps causing her to blink out of her reverie. "Hey," he greeted softly, sitting down next to her.
Helena glanced at him and smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Hey. I didn't hear you coming." She moved her sketchbook onto her lap, though she made no move to open it.
For a moment, they sat in comfortable silence, the sun dipping low in the sky, casting a golden glow over the school courtyard.
Jay leaned back, stretching his arms over the bench. "You looked deep in thought. Everything okay?" he asked, keeping his tone casual but his eyes focused on her, searching for any hint of what might be troubling her.
Helena hesitated. It was a loaded question, one she wasn't sure she could answer. Everything wasn't okay. Far from it. But she had become adept at masking her emotions, at keeping the storm inside her contained. Jay couldn't know the truth.
"Yeah, just thinking about some things," she said with a shrug, forcing a smile. "You know, life... school... the usual."
Jay wasn't convinced, but he didn't push. He respected her boundaries, even if it frustrated him not to know more. Instead, he decided to steer the conversation to safer ground.
"You know," he said, glancing at her sketchbook, "Selena's got some serious talent. You're lucky to have a sister like her. She must get her creativity from you."
Helena chuckled softly, the sound light but genuine. "Hardly. She's the artistic one. I'm just the one who cheers her on from the sidelines."
Jay smiled, sensing a rare moment of openness from her. "There's more to you than that, Helena. I've seen it."
Helena's smile faltered slightly. His words touched something inside her, something vulnerable. She wasn't used to people looking deeper, seeing past the surface.
Most people just accepted the facade she showed them, never questioning, never probing. But Jay... he wasn't most people.
Before she could respond, Jay leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I've always admired how you and Selena are with each other. You're... protective of her." He paused, glancing at her. "But who's looking out for you?"
The question caught Helena off guard. Her heart skipped a beat, and for a moment, she didn't know how to respond. No one had ever asked her that before.
Who was looking out for her? She had been so focused on keeping their lives afloat, on being strong for Selena, that she hadn't stopped to think about her own needs, her own fears.
"I don't need anyone to look out for me," she said softly, her voice more defensive than she intended. "I can take care of myself."
Jay's eyes softened, and he nodded slowly, respecting her answer but not fully believing it. "I don't doubt that," he said. "But even the strongest people need someone to lean on every now and then."
There was something in his voice, a quiet understanding that made Helena's chest tighten. She turned to look at him, really look at him, for the first time in weeks. Jay had always been kind to her, always offered his support without expecting anything in return.
But there was more to it now. She could feel it in the way he looked at her, the way he seemed to care about her beyond just casual friendship.
A moment of silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken words and unsaid emotions.
Helena broke eye contact, glancing down at her hands. "You're too nice, you know that?" she murmured. "People might take advantage of that."
Jay chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Maybe. But I'd like to think that some people are worth it."
Helena felt her heart skip again, a strange warmth spreading through her chest. She hadn't allowed herself to think about Jay in that way—not seriously, anyway. He was too good for someone like her, someone with secrets she couldn't share. Secrets that could ruin everything.
But despite her reservations, there was something about him that made her want to let her guard down, if only a little.
"So, what about you?" Helena asked, turning the tables on him. "What's it like being the heir to a big company? Isn't there a lot of pressure?"
Jay's expression shifted slightly, a brief flicker of discomfort crossing his features before he shrugged. "It's... a lot," he admitted, leaning back against the bench.
"But it's nothing I can't handle. My father's been grooming me for this since I was a kid. I guess I never really had a choice."
Helena frowned, sensing the weight of those words. "No choice? Don't you ever think about doing something else? Something you actually want to do?"
Jay glanced at her, his eyes thoughtful. "I used to," he said quietly. "But that's not how things work in my family. My dad has expectations, and I'm supposed to meet them. That's just how it is."
Helena felt a pang of sympathy for him. In a way, they weren't so different—both of them trapped by circumstances beyond their control, forced to play roles they hadn't asked for. But at least Jay had a future, a clear path laid out for him.
"I'm sure you'll be great at it," she said softly, offering a small smile. "You've always been good with people. That'll take you far."
Jay's gaze lingered on her, his expression unreadable. "What about you, Helena? What do you want for your future?"
The question caught her off guard again, and for a moment, she didn't know how to answer. What did she want? She had spent so long just trying to survive, trying to keep her and Selena's heads above water, that she hadn't allowed herself to dream about the future.
"I... I don't know," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "I haven't really thought about it."
Jay's eyes softened once more. "Maybe you should," he said gently. "You deserve to have a future, Helena. A real one."
Helena's throat tightened, and for a moment, she wanted to tell him everything—about her father, about the secrets she and Selena had been keeping, about the uncertainty that hung over their lives like a dark cloud. But she couldn't.
Instead, she forced a smile and looked away. "Maybe someday," she said, her voice barely masking the turmoil inside her.
Jay watched her for a long moment, sensing the walls she was putting up but not knowing how to break through them. He cared about her—more than he was willing to admit—and the more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to be part of her world.
But there was something about Helena that kept him at arm's length, something she wasn't telling him. He could feel it in the way she deflected, the way she carefully chose her words.
And as much as he wanted to get closer to her, he knew there were parts of her life that remained just out of reach.
---
The tension between them hung in the air as they sat together in the fading light, neither willing to break the fragile bond they had built. But even in that quiet moment, Jay couldn't shake the feeling that Helena was hiding something—something that could change everything.