EPISODE 32: Silence
1077 Words
The last rays of the evening sun filtered through the large glass windows of the university library, casting long golden streaks across the polished wooden tables.
Ethan Carter sat alone in one of the far corners, an open textbook lying in front of him.
The pages hadn't been turned in nearly twenty minutes.
His eyes were fixed on the words...
But his mind was somewhere else entirely.
With Noah.
A frustrated sigh escaped his lips as he shut the book and leaned back in his chair.
"What am I doing...?"
He ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes.
Ever since asking Noah for space, he had convinced himself it was the right decision.
He had needed time.
Time to understand why he couldn't stop thinking about Ace.
Time to figure out whether the feelings he still had for Noah were love...
Or simply the comfort that came with a two-year relationship.
At first, he believed distance would give him clarity.
Instead...
It had done the exact opposite.
The more time passed...
The more confused he became.
His thoughts drifted back to Ace.
Ace's confidence.
His smile.
The thrill Ethan felt whenever they were together.
There was no denying it.
He was genuinely attracted to Ace.
Being around him made Ethan's heart race in a way he had never experienced before.
Yet...
Whenever Noah smiled at another person...
Whenever Ethan saw Noah laughing with Ava...
Or walking beside Liam...
His chest tightened painfully.
He hated it.
He hated the jealousy.
He hated the fear.
Most of all...
He hated the realisation that Noah was slowly learning how to live without him.
Ethan rested both elbows on the table and buried his face in his hands.
"I thought taking space would make everything easier..."
He whispered bitterly.
"So why does everything feel worse?"
He could still remember Noah's words outside the parking lot.
"I begged you."
"You watched me break apart..."
"I'm done waiting."
Those words replayed in his mind over and over again.
His throat tightened.
He had hurt Noah.
That much was undeniable.
But now...
He had reached a crossroads.
He didn't want to lose Ace.
Yet...
The thought of completely losing Noah terrified him just as much.
For the first time in his life...
Ethan didn't know what his own heart wanted.
---
Tuesday arrived.
The campus buzzed with its usual energy as students poured out of lecture halls after the final class of the day.
Noah adjusted the strap of his backpack as he walked beside Ava toward the student car park.
Unlike his usual cheerful self...
He had been unusually quiet all afternoon.
Ava stole several glances at him.
Finally, she couldn't ignore it anymore.
"Alright."
She folded her arms.
"What's going on?"
Noah looked at her.
"Hm?"
"You've barely spoken since lunch."
"I'm fine."
"Liar."
She nudged his shoulder gently.
"I know your 'I'm fine' face."
Noah let out a small laugh.
"It's really nothing."
Ava narrowed her eyes.
"It has something to do with Liam, doesn't it?"
Noah didn't answer.
That alone was enough.
Ava sighed softly.
"You haven't heard from him?"
Noah slowly shook his head.
"It's been a couple of days."
His voice was quiet.
"We used to text every day."
"Even if it was just asking how classes went."
"But..."
"He suddenly went quiet."
Ava frowned.
"That's strange."
"I know."
Noah forced a smile.
"I'm probably overthinking it."
"Maybe he's just busy."
"I mean..."
"He has university."
"His internship."
"And he's helping at the company."
"He probably has a lot on his plate."
Even as he said those words...
They didn't reassure him.
Because another voice inside him kept asking—
"Then why hasn't he replied at all?"
---
Instead of heading home immediately...
Noah followed Ava to the Whitmore residence.
The familiar gates slowly opened as Ava drove inside.
Noah looked around hopefully.
A sleek black sedan wasn't parked in its usual place.
The driveway felt unusually empty.
Victoria was arranging fresh flowers in the living room when the two walked inside.
She smiled warmly.
"Noah."
"It's nice to see you."
"Good evening, Mrs. Whitmore."
"Good evening, dear."
Victoria looked around.
"Weren't you looking for Liam?"
Noah blinked.
"Was it that obvious?"
She laughed softly.
"A mother's eyes notice everything."
"He went straight to Asterion Global Group after classes."
"He'll probably be working late tonight."
The hopeful look in Noah's eyes dimmed ever so slightly.
"I see..."
Victoria noticed the disappointment he tried so hard to hide.
"He has been unusually busy these past few days."
"I'm sure he'll explain."
Noah quickly smiled.
"I'm not worried."
But even he knew...
It wasn't a very convincing smile.
After chatting for a little while longer, Noah excused himself and headed home.
---
The Bennett residence was quiet that evening.
After dinner, Noah took a long shower, hoping the warm water would help clear his thoughts.
Instead...
They only became louder.
Dressed in a pair of grey lounge trousers and an oversized white T-shirt, he climbed onto his bed with his phone in hand.
He unlocked the screen.
Liam's name was still pinned at the top of his messages.
Noah stared at it for several long seconds.
He opened the chat.
Typed.
Deleted.
Typed again.
Deleted once more.
"...Am I bothering him?"
He whispered to himself.
Maybe Liam was simply busy.
Maybe he needed space.
Maybe...
Maybe Noah was thinking too much.
He sighed.
"No."
"If something's wrong..."
"I'd rather ask than keep guessing."
Taking a deep breath, he finally typed.
«Hi, Liam.
I just wanted to check in.
I hope you're okay.
Take care of yourself.»
His thumb hovered over the send button.
For a brief moment...
He almost deleted it again.
Instead...
He pressed Send.
The message disappeared into the conversation.
Noah smiled faintly.
"There."
"That's enough."
He placed the phone on the bedside table.
Ten minutes later...
He picked it up again.
No new notification.
He set it down.
Another fifteen minutes passed.
Still nothing.
He turned the screen on once more.
The message remained unread.
Noah let out a quiet sigh.
"It's fine..."
"He's probably working."
He repeated those words several times, almost as though he were trying to convince himself.
Eventually...
Exhaustion overtook him.
His phone remained loosely held in one hand as his eyelids slowly grew heavier.
The screen dimmed.
Then went dark.
The last thing Noah saw before sleep claimed him...
Was the single message he had sent.
Waiting.
Without a reply.
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