Chapter 7 – A Friend’s Shadow
394 Words
POV: Nareth Sol
Something was wrong with Lucian.
Nareth had known him too long not to notice—the way he shifted when he walked, how his words came slower, softer, like they were borrowed. Even the smile that used to light up entire rooms now flickered as if it didn’t belong to him.
They sat across from each other at the café table, steam curling from untouched cups of coffee. Outside, the street bustled with life, but inside, silence pressed between them.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Nareth asked, leaning forward. His eyes searched Lucian’s face for answers that never came.
Lucian lifted his gaze, and for a moment Nareth swore he saw fear flash there, raw and unguarded. But then it was gone, smoothed over with that fragile smile again.
“I told you, I’m fine,” Lucian said, voice steady but hollow.
Nareth clenched his jaw. He hated lies. Especially from him. “You don’t look fine.”
Lucian’s hand twitched around the mug, knuckles white. He looked like he wanted to say something, words trapped just behind his teeth. But then he lowered his eyes, choosing silence instead.
The frustration inside Nareth coiled tighter. He remembered the night of the accident too vividly—the screech of tires, the smell of smoke, the weight in his chest when he thought he’d lost him. Seeing Lucian alive again should’ve been a relief. Instead, it felt like watching a stranger wear his best friend’s skin.
And that terrified him.
“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Nareth said, softer now. “You’ve never had to carry things alone. Not with me.”
Lucian’s breath hitched—barely audible, but Nareth caught it. He lifted his eyes again, and for an instant, the mask slipped. His expression was raw, desperate, like someone drowning just below the surface.
“Nareth…” His voice cracked around the name. “What if I’m not who you think I am?”
The question froze Nareth’s blood. His lips parted, but no words came. He wanted to laugh it off, call it stress, trauma, anything—but the look in Lucian’s eyes stopped him.
It wasn’t a joke.
It wasn’t even confusion.
It was confession.
And suddenly, Nareth wasn’t sure if the man sitting across from him was his best friend at all.
- Writer
