{Chapter: 183 - Steak, Secrets, and the Sound of Her Heart}
Aiden's smile was almost kind. "I don't hurt people unless I need to."
With one swift movement, Aiden reached out, his hand glowing faintly with energy. Matt flinched—but it didn't hurt. There was only a cold pressure, like a vacuum pulling something vital from within.
It was over in seconds.
Matt slumped forward, unconscious.
Rene stepped forward wordlessly. But Aiden stopped him. "No need. I've absorbed enough now to do it myself."
Closing his eyes, Aiden focused. Matt's memories shimmered in his mind like a deck of cards, flipping rapidly. He picked the ones he wanted—those of this facility, of their encounter, of the pain—and erased them cleanly.
A moment later, Matt stirred awake, dazed and blinking.
"You'll feel disoriented," Aiden said. "But that'll pass."
Rene helped Matt up and walked him outside. Aiden followed.
---
By the time they returned to town, the rain had softened into a drizzle. The clouds hung heavy, low over the rooftops. The streets were quiet.
Aiden sat in the front seat of a parked car, his fingers tracing over a large map spread across his lap. Dozens of red markers dotted the map—known ability users, former Company assets, threats and opportunities.
His goal now was clear.
Find Sylar.
Aiden activated the locating ability, letting it spread out across the grid of space and minds. A faint thread pulled toward the northwest corner of the map. That had to be it.
He was about to follow it when—
Knock knock.
A firm rapping on the car window startled him.
Aiden turned quickly, eyes narrowing. Rene looked up from the passenger seat.
The knock on the car window had been firm but not hostile. Aiden looked up, expecting a stranger, maybe a spy or another gifted individual. But when he saw who it was, he blinked in surprise.
There, standing in the light drizzle, was a girl with golden blonde hair plastered wet to her cheeks. She wore a deep red hoodie pulled over her head, rain still dripping down from the edges. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, her lashes wet—but she was smiling, almost glowing with warmth.
Aiden rolled the window down slowly, the mechanical hum cutting through the sound of the rain.
"Claire?" he said, lips curling slightly into a smile. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at school?"
Claire Bennet's smile widened. She brushed some wet strands away from her face, excitement and nerves twinkling in her eyes. Despite the soaked hoodie, despite her shivering, she radiated a kind of stubborn brightness—like she wasn't going to be turned away no matter what.
"I went to the hotel to find you," she said, her voice a little breathless. "But the guy at the desk said you weren't there. I was just walking around hoping I might—well, I didn't expect to find you here."
There was a flicker—Aiden noticed it at once. Not in her words, but in her emotions. She wasn't just happy. She was relieved. And something else. That kind of frantic hope only someone young and infatuated could carry.
And then it happened.
Two voices echoed in his mind. A double-layered thought overlapping with her spoken words.
> 'Great, I thought I couldn't see you again!'
It was unguarded. Sincere. The kind of thing most people never said aloud, not because they didn't feel it, but because it would leave them far too exposed.
Aiden tilted his head, just slightly. Mind reading? But not from him. That had to be Matt's ability, now partially fused into his own.
His smile deepened, a bit amused.
"Were you worried you wouldn't see me again?" he asked, voice gentle but teasing.
Claire froze.
The blood drained from her face for a second, her smile faltering. Her mouth opened slightly in shock, then she quickly recovered—just like she always did. Claire had always been good at putting up a strong front, even when she was drowning inside.
"I… I mean—no—I just…" she fumbled, words tripping over each other as she looked down and adjusted her hoodie. "I explained everything to my dad, okay? About what happened with you. But he didn't believe me. He thinks you're dangerous."
Her voice dropped, hurt and frustration bleeding through. "He told me to stay away from you."
Aiden said nothing. He just watched her.
Claire took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders. "But you're my friend. And more than that... you saved my life. I don't care what my dad thinks—I wanted to see you again, and thank you properly. I... I wanted to do something normal for once."
She paused, then rushed forward in one breath: "Do you have time? I want to invite you to dinner!"
The second she said it, she mentally shouted in a panic:
> "Say yes! Say yes! Say yes!"
Aiden nearly chuckled. Not at her—never at her—but at the raw, open flood of emotion she carried with her like a storm in a bottle. Claire was still just a teenager. Brave. Reckless. Too trusting. But her heart was enormous, and right now it was pounding faster than any heartbeat had a right to.
She was nervous. Excited. Terrified. Not because he scared her, but because this moment felt bigger to her than it probably should have. Hormones, gratitude, attraction—they were all mixing inside her like unstable chemicals in a beaker.
She looked up at him with hope clinging to her features like dew on a leaf.
Aiden leaned back in the seat slightly, glanced at Rene—who raised an eyebrow but said nothing—and then turned back to Claire with a faint nod.
"Of course," he said with a warm smile. "But I'll be inviting you."
Claire blinked. "Wait, really? You will?"
"I owe you that much," Aiden replied. "Besides, it's not every day I get to eat with someone brave enough to stand up to their father, cross town in the rain, and drag a miracle back to my doorstep."
Claire bit her lip, trying to hide her excitement—and failing miserably. She smiled so wide it almost looked like it might break her face. Her hoodie was still dripping, her hair a mess, but in that moment, she looked happier than she had in days.
"Okay," she said, trying to sound calm and cool—but her eyes sparkled like a girl who just got asked to prom by the guy she thought she had no chance with. "Okay. Great."
---
Aiden hadn't really planned on eating with Claire. Not tonight. Not ever, truthfully. His plan had been simple—regroup, rest, vanish. But when she showed up in the rain, face flushed and smile bright despite being soaked through to the bone, something shifted.
He didn't mind sharing a meal. Not with her. Especially not when she was looking at him like that.
"Come up," Rene said quietly as he returned from his errand and opened the door, giving Claire a small nod of acknowledgment.
Once everyone was inside, Aiden turned the ignition, the soft purr of the engine masking the storm that still drizzled lightly outside.
As the car pulled away from the curb, Aiden glanced at Claire from the corner of his eye. Her hands were tucked into the sleeves of her hoodie, her legs fidgeting. She kept sneaking glances at him like she wasn't sure if she was allowed to smile.
"What do you want to eat?" he asked, voice low and casual, hands steady on the wheel.
Claire blinked, then rushed to respond. "Whatever you want!"
There was that smile again—too fast, too eager. She tried to act nonchalant, but her voice had just a bit too much brightness to be natural.
Aiden smirked faintly and said nothing, his eyes back on the road. He didn't need to ask twice. Her thoughts were already filling the space between them like loud music bleeding through headphones.
> "Please take me somewhere nice. Somewhere where we can just… talk. Somewhere kind of special."
> "I hope I don't look like a total mess. Oh my god, why didn't I bring makeup?"
> "Does he even want to do this, or am I just annoying him?"
She wasn't saying any of this out loud, but Aiden could hear it. The jumble of teenage emotions, the confusion, the rush of gratitude twisted together with something warmer… something she hadn't sorted out yet. She was crushing on him, hard. She didn't understand it yet—maybe didn't want to—but it was there.
He pulled up outside a restaurant with brick walls, low amber lighting, and flickering candle lanterns visible through the front windows. The place wasn't flashy. It was classy. Intimate. The kind of place where couples sat close and spoke in hushed tones over shared desserts.
Claire looked up in surprise, her eyes widening. "How… how did you know this place?"
Her mouth was parted slightly in awe. "I—I've always wanted to come here. I walk past it all the time after practice, but I never had anyone to…"
She trailed off, cheeks flushing.
Aiden smiled and tapped a finger to his temple. "Maybe I can hear what you're thinking?"
Claire's face turned bright red, and she slapped a hand over her mouth as if she'd just screamed something in public. "Oh my god," she whispered. "Seriously?"
Aiden chuckled, stepping out of the car as she hurried to catch up. The rain had eased into a gentle mist, and her damp hair caught the soft glow of the restaurant lights as she walked beside him.
Inside, it was warm and inviting. Aiden immediately understood why Claire had always wanted to come here. The atmosphere felt like it belonged in a movie—soft jazz in the background, velvet-covered chairs, couples seated by the window whispering and laughing under golden pendant lights.
They were led to a corner booth, half-hidden by a curved partition and leafy plants. When the waiter handed them each a menu, Claire stared at hers like it was a math test.
She hesitated. "Uhh…"
Aiden glanced at her without speaking. Her eyes darted across the prices, and her fingers trembled just slightly as she held the laminated menu.
> "This is way too expensive. I shouldn't have come. Why did I think this was a good idea?"
> "He's gonna think I'm some clingy cheerleader who can't even order food."
Aiden smiled and closed his own menu. "I'll handle the order."
Claire looked up in surprise as he called over the waiter and casually listed off a few dishes—two appetizers, one entrée for himself, another vegetarian option, and dessert.
"Hehe," he chuckled at her reaction—somewhere between flattered and flustered.
"You're seriously messing with my head," she muttered.
"Am I?" he asked, folding his arms.
Claire leaned forward once the waiter was gone, lowering her voice. "Is this ability like the one I used to have?"
There it was again. The quiet, uncertain edge in her tone. She wasn't asking from suspicion. She was asking because she wanted to understand him. Wanted to feel close. Like maybe, just maybe, they weren't so different.
Aiden didn't answer directly. Instead, he gave her a small smile. "After dinner, I'll be heading out."
She blinked. "Wait, what? Where?"
"New York."
The words landed like a stone. Claire's expression shifted immediately—eyes wide, smile vanishing. Her fingers tightened around her glass of water. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, the conversation's momentum vanishing into silence.
> "He's leaving already?"
> "Why do I even care so much? I just met him. But it feels like I've known him forever."
> "He can't go. Not yet."
The food arrived, and Aiden let her sit with her thoughts while they ate. Claire tried to smile, tried to pretend she was fine, but she pushed her food around her plate more than she ate it.
When the check came, Aiden paid without hesitation. Claire muttered something about paying him back, but he waved it off.
Outside, the sky was darker now, the rain completely gone. The streetlights lit the sidewalk in soft pools of light, casting a golden glow around Claire as they walked back to the van.