CHAPTER 169

**ZION**

I couldn’t believe it. 

Winter had given me a chance. 

I could barely process it—my mind racing, my heart hammering in my chest as I just stood there, stunned. 

A chance. 

A chance to prove I could be someone different.

“I... I—” 

I stammered, the words tangled in my throat, my chest tight as I struggled to find the right thing to say. My voice cracked, betraying the wave of emotion I was trying so hard to hold back.

“You—thank you, Snowflake. Thank you.” 

I wanted to say more, but all I could feel was this overwhelming weight in my chest, this surge of gratitude I could barely express.

I took a step forward, feeling the intensity of the moment.

“I promise you won’t regret this,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. 

“I’ll be better. I’ll prove to you that I’m not the same person I was. I’ll be that boy—the one you cared for. The one you trusted. I won’t mess this up. I won’t. I swear to you.”

I needed her to believe me. I needed her to see that I wasn’t the man I used to be—not the angry, bitter fool who pushed her away.

“I’ll show you, I promise.” I took a breath, my heart pounding in my chest.

My vision blurred, and I didn’t care that my eyes were filling with tears. I had to do this. I had to prove I wasn’t the same selfish asshole who’d destroyed everything.

“I’ll be the boy you once believed in—the one you could trust, the one who’d do anything for you. I swear... I’ll make this count,” I said, voice thick with emotion.

She looked at me for a long moment. 

“Only friends, Zion,” she said, her voice soft but firm. 

“Don’t read too much into this, okay? This isn’t some fairytale fix. I’m not promising anything beyond that. Just a simple friendship. That’s all I can offer right now.”

She looked away for a second, 

“I’ll see where this goes, but I need you to understand—I’m still hurt. I still have a lot of trust issues when it comes to you. And it’s not just about what happened back then. It’s about everything that came after.”

My chest tightened. Her voice didn’t tremble, but the emotion behind it was raw.

“You shattered something important to me,” she said, her voice steady but heavy with emotion. “And if you truly mean everything you’re saying now—if you really regret what happened—then show me. Words aren’t enough anymore.”

She took a breath, her eyes hardening as she looked at me.

“You broke something beautiful. Our friendship, the trust we had... That’s on you to fix. I can’t do it for you. I’ll see if you're willing to put in the work. But know this—I’m not waiting around for empty promises.”

Every word was a dagger—and I deserved them all. 

“I will. I promise. I won’t just try—I’ll prove it, Snowflake. Not with speeches or empty promises, but with actions. With patience. With honesty. I’ll earn your trust back, even if it takes months or years. Even if you never look at me the same way again, I’ll still show up, every single day, trying to be better than the boy who let you down.”

I meant every single word.

“I’m not here for shortcuts. I’m not here for some easy fix or to win you back with one good moment. I’m here for the long haul—for you. And I know I can’t undo what I did… but I can build something better in its place, brick by brick, no matter how long it takes. I’ll fix it, Snowflake. Every cracked piece. Every scar. Every bit of trust I shattered.”

I took a slow breath and added, voice thick with emotion, 

“I promise. You won’t regret giving me this chance. I swear it.”

She didn’t say anything else—just nodded, turned, and walked back into the house. 

But that simple act... it felt like the entire world had shifted beneath my feet. Like there was hope now. 

Hope that maybe, just maybe, things could get better.

The second the door closed behind her, I let out a long breath, half-laughing, half-sobbing, barely able to believe what had just happened.

I punched the air in front of me, the excitement finally spilling out. 

“Yes!” I whispered to myself, bouncing on my toes. 

“Yes!”

“Z, you lucky bastard,” I muttered, still grinning like a damn fool. My heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. 

“You’re getting another shot. Make it count. Show her... show her who you really are.”

I couldn’t stop the smile spreading across my face, the overwhelming sense of victory sweeping over me. 

I didn’t know how long it would take, but I wasn’t giving up. 

Not now. Not ever. 

This was my second chance, and I was going to fight for it. For her.

I wasn’t going to let her down again.

I was still standing there, stupidly grinning up at Claire’s window like some lovesick idiot, when I heard the front door swing open behind me.

Footsteps. Then—

Out came Clark, Ro, and Harry—shirtless, barefoot, holding half-eaten bags of chips and soda cans. They looked like they'd just been kicked out of a sleepover and forced into daylight against their will.

“What the hell is this?” Clark’s voice rang out, full of mischief.

“Zion Royal, smiling? In public? Did he hit his head?”

Clark squinted, then gasped, clutching his chest like he’d just witnessed a crime. 

“Wait. He’s not just smiling—he’s blushing. Oh my god. Ro, get the camera. We need to document this. This is rarer than a solar eclipse.”

He leaned closer, eyes wide. “Zion, blink twice if you’ve been body-snatched by aliens.”

Harry raised a brow, munching loudly on a handful of chips. 

“Someone check his temperature. If he starts humming love songs, I’m calling an exorcist.”

“Wait—is that a tear?” Ro squinted, pointing with a Dorito half-hanging from his mouth. 

“No freaking way! Zion ‘I-don’t-do-emotions’ Royal actually cried?”

Then he yelled toward the sky, “Someone call NASA! We’ve got a miracle on Earth!”

“I didn’t cry,” I snapped, but my voice cracked again, betraying me.

Clark clutched his heart dramatically. 

“Oh my god. He did cry—"

He wiped an invisible tear from his eye. 

“Our boy’s gone soft, fellas. Someone play My Heart Will Go On—.”

I narrowed my eyes at the three idiots in front of me, all grinning like hyenas hopped up on sugar and stupidity. 

And they were laughing at me—at me—because I’d smiled and maybe got a little teary-eyed over her.

Idiots.

“Say one more word,” I growled, pointing at them, 

“And I swear I’ll drop-kick all three of you into next week.”

Clark held his soda can like a shield. “Whoa, whoa! We come in peace!”

I stared them down a second longer, then smirked—just a little. 

“Keep talking, and you might be the ones crying next.”

They all burst out laughing again, but this time, it didn’t bother me. Not really.

The truth was, I probably had cried. And for once, I didn’t even care.

Harry clapped a hand on my shoulder. 

“Okay, Romeo. You gonna tell us what happened or keep making creepy heart-eyes at the window?”

Ro crossed his arms, a crooked grin tugging at his lips. 

“You get the girl or what?”

“She gave me a chance. She said we could start as friends.”

For a beat, they just stared at me, eyes wide.

Then all hell broke loose.

"YES!" Ro exclaimed, his eyes lighting up as he lunged forward, wrapping me in a tight, enthusiastic hug. 

Harry leapt onto Ro's back, his laughter echoing through the backyard 

The sudden weight sent all three of us stumbling, but we managed to stay upright, our joy infectious.

"THE BOY DID IT!" Harry shouted, his voice filled with triumph as if we had just scored the winning touchdown in the championship game.

Clark stood there with a flourish, tossing his chips into the air like celebratory confetti. 

"I'd like to thank the universe for granting me the honour of witnessing this moment," he declared, bowing deeply. 

"And, of course, my extraordinarily persuasive charm. Clearly, I was the secret ingredient to Zion's success. You're welcome, my friend. The world owes me one."

Before I could even think of rolling my eyes, Clark launched himself at us with the grace of a human cannonball. 

He landed perfectly on top of Ro, who let out a surprised yelp. The impact sent us all tumbling down in a chaotic, sweaty tangle of limbs and Doritos, our laughter filling the air. 

We rolled and wrestled, each trying to gain the upper hand, but in the end, we were just a mess of joy and camaraderie, celebrating our shared victory.

I groaned, “You guys are complete idiots.”

“Hey, idiots who’ve been giving you emotional support since day one,” Ro shot back, still half sprawled on top of me, a maniacal grin plastered on his face.

“Yeah,” Clark chimed in, grinning. 

“Idiots who stood by and watched you finally win her over. You owe us all a drink, by the way.”

I tried to shake them off, but they were relentless, still laughing and celebrating like it was some kind of victory parade.

Honestly, I couldn’t even be mad. Not with the way they were all so damn happy for me.

And, for the first time in forever, I could actually laugh along with them.

“Get off me, you idiots!” I shouted between laughs, struggling under their combined weight.

“Nope. This is how we celebrate!” Ro yelled.

Clark jumped on the pile last and nearly crushed us. “Group hug or die trying!”

“I am literally dying right now!” I wheezed, pinned at the bottom.

“Let it happen!” Harry cried dramatically. 

“Let the love in, Z!”

We all collapsed onto the lawn, a tangled mess of limbs and laughter. And for a second, everything just felt right.

Clark flopped onto his back beside me. 

“So... when’s the wedding?”

“Shut. Up.”

“I’m just saying,” Clark replied with a teasing grin, 

“If you need someone to help plan it, I’m your guy. I’ve got impeccable taste, and an unrivaled skill for throwing a party.”

“Oh really?” Harry smirked, crossing his arms. “Impeccable taste? Didn’t you wear socks with sandals to the last party we went to?”

Clark rolled his eyes. “That was a fashion statement, Harry!"

“Fashion statement?” Harry laughed. 

“More like a cry for help. I’m pretty sure even your shoes were confused.”

Clark ignored him, still smirking. “Look, I’m just saying, I’d look fantastic in a tux. I’m basically made for weddings.”

“God help us,” Harry muttered, and we all broke into laughter again.

Ro grinned, side-eyeing me. “Let’s be real, you’re probably gonna mess this up at least once. Just know, when you do, we’ll be there to beat your ass—with love, emotional accountability, and a whole lot of sarcasm.”

I snorted, wiping my face with my sleeve. 

“I know. And thanks. For real.”

We laughed like idiots—Ro and Harry doubling over while Clark tried to make kissy noises at me. 

Harry ruffled my hair like I was a damn kid, and Clark jumped on my back, yelling, 

“This is the best day ever! Let’s buy cake! Or alcohol! Or cake and alcohol!”

I sat up slowly and looked up toward Claire’s window. Curtains closed. Lights on. Somewhere behind that glass, Snowflake was probably curled up, trying to sort through everything I had just thrown at her.

But she didn’t shut me out.

She gave me a chance.

And I’d spend every damn second proving I deserved it.

I looked at the guys—still joking, still being idiots—and smiled.

This was my crew. 

My family.

And for the first time in a long time... I was happy.

Really happy.