Chapter 2: Words Without Sound
537 Words
The next morning, the sun broke through the clouds. The rain had stopped, but the ground was still wet. Arianna stood outside, in the garden of the Romano estate. She wore a dark coat and black boots, her hands folded behind her back. Her eyes moved slowly, watching the leaves drip water.
She looked peaceful, but she wasn’t.
She was thinking.
She hated this place.
Not because it was ugly. The Romano house was beautiful—rich stone, gold lights, fancy halls. But it wasn’t home. And the people here weren’t her people. They were enemies.
Still, Ari was smart enough to stay calm.
Inside, Dominic Romano was watching her through the window. He didn’t mean to—but he couldn’t help it.
She stood so still. So quiet. Not weak—never weak—but unreadable. Her silence made him want to understand her more.
Why had her brother sent her?
Why did she look like she’d seen a hundred battles but hadn’t spoken of one?
He grabbed his black hoodie, ran a hand through his messy black hair, and walked outside.
Ari didn’t turn when she heard him step on the gravel. But she knew it was him.
He stopped a few feet behind her.
“I looked up sign language last night,” he said, voice low.
Ari turned a little and raised an eyebrow.
Dominic held up his hands and signed something slowly. It wasn’t perfect.
[Good... morning.]
Ari blinked in surprise.
She answered back, slow so he could follow:
[You learned for me?]
“I guess,” Dominic said with a shrug. “I was curious.”
Ari smiled.
It was small. Just a soft lift of her lips. But it changed her whole face. The hard lines in her eyes melted for just a second.
Dominic noticed.
“You don’t smile a lot, do you?”
Ari signed: [Not much to smile about.]
He nodded. “Yeah. Same.”
They stood there for a moment, not talking. Not signing. Just breathing the same cold air.
Dominic looked up at the grey sky. “Do you remember the first time our families fought?”
Ari shook her head.
“I do. I was ten. My uncle got shot. Your father was blamed.”
Ari’s jaw tightened. She signed quickly:
[My father was innocent.]
Dominic shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not.”
She stepped closer. Her eyes burned. She signed slowly:
[You don’t know the truth. Don’t act like you do.]
He smiled, not in a cruel way. “You’re not afraid of me, are you?”
Ari signed one word: [No.]
Then she turned and walked away, her boots leaving no sound on the stone.
Dominic stood there, watching her go again.
His heart beat just a little faster.
---
That night, Dominic couldn’t sleep.
He sat on his bed, lights off, phone in hand. He was watching sign language videos again.
This time, he didn’t tell himself it was just curiosity.
He wanted to understand her.
Not just her words.
Her.
He repeated the signs over and over, whispering the words to himself.
> “How are you... What’s wrong... I’m listening…”
The signs were simple.
But they meant something more.
- Writer
