His Silent Obsession.

Chapter 6 — Silence is Worse

Tiana’s POV

The silence started the moment the car moved.

Not normal silence.

Not the kind you ignore.

The kind that sits there.

Heavy.

Pressing.

I shifted slightly in my seat, staring out the window as the city passed by in blurred motion. People walking. Cars moving. Life happening.

And inside this car?

No music.

No conversation.

Just him.

I glanced at him.

Then looked away.

Then glanced again.

Still the same.

Hands steady on the wheel. Eyes forward. Expression unreadable.

Like I wasn’t even there.

“You always this quiet?” I asked.

“Yes.”

I blinked.

“That’s it?”

“Yes.”

I turned my head slightly toward him, frowning.

“You’re serious.”

“I usually am.”

That made me pause.

Just for a second.

Because that wasn’t nothing.

It wasn’t much.

I leaned back, crossing my arms. “So this is how it’s going to be? You barely talk, I suffer?”

“You’re not suffering.”

“I am.”

“You’ll survive.”

I stared at him.

“Wow.”

Silence.

Then I scoffed, shaking my head. “You’re actually annoying.”

“I’ve been called worse.”

“I doubt that.”

“People tend to underestimate honesty.”

I blinked again.

What the?

“…You think you’re honest?”

“Yes.”

“You barely speak.”

“That doesn’t make me dishonest.”

I huffed slightly, looking away again. “No, it just makes you difficult.”

“Accurate.”

I paused.

Then turned back to him slowly.

“You agree?”

“Yes.”

“…You’re not supposed to agree.”

“I don’t see a reason not to.”

I stared at him for a second longer than necessary.

“You’re weird.”

No response.

Obviously.

The silence stretched again, filling the car like it had nowhere else to go.

I tapped my fingers lightly against my arm, restless now.

“You know, most people try to make conversation.”

“I’m not most people.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that already.”

“You talk enough for both of us.”

I blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“You fill silence quickly.”

I frowned. “That’s not a bad thing.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

“You implied it.”

“I observed it.”

I stared at him.

“You analyze people a lot?”

“Yes.”

“That’s creepy.”

“It’s useful.”

“For what?”

“Situations like this.”

I leaned slightly toward him. “And what exactly have you ‘analyzed’ about me?”

He didn’t answer immediately.

And for some reason that made me more interested.

“You don’t like being controlled.”

I scoffed. “Wow. What gave it away?”

“You resist authority even when it benefits you.”

My expression shifted slightly.

“That’s not true.”

“It is.”

“You don’t know me.”

“I don’t need to.”

That again.

That same line.

And I hated how confident he sounded saying it.

I leaned back again, crossing my arms tighter.

“You talk like you’ve known me for years.”

“I don’t.”

“Then stop acting like it.”

“You make patterns obvious.”

I frowned. “Patterns?”

“Yes.”

“Like what?”

Silence.

I rolled my eyes. “Of course. No answer.”

“You react before you think.”

I froze slightly.

“…Excuse me?”

“You're excused.”

“That’s not true.”

“You interrupted me three times already.”

I opened my mouth—

Paused.

Closed it.

“That doesn’t count.”

“It does.”

I scoffed, turning my head toward the window again. “You’re actually unbelievable.”

Silence.

But this time it felt different.

Less empty.

More aware.

I sat there for a second, then frowned slightly as something clicked.

The road.

I sat up a bit straighter, looking outside more carefully.

“Wait.”

No response.

I looked again.

Then turned to him.

“…This isn’t the usual route.”

“It is.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It is today.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

“Traffic.”

“You checked?”

“Yes.”

“Before picking me up?”

“Yes.”

I stared at him.

“Why?”

No response.

That wasn’t normal.

I leaned back slowly, my expression shifting as I studied him properly this time.

“You knew what time I’d be ready." I said.

Silence.

“You knew I had class.”

Nothing.

“You knew I wouldn’t want to be late.”

A pause.

Still—

nothing.

My chest tightened slightly.

“…How?”

He didn’t answer.

Of course.

I let out a quiet laugh, but it wasn’t amused. “Wow.”

Still silence.

I turned my head toward him fully now, watching him the same way he had been watching me.

“…You’ve been watching me.”

No response.

“You knew my schedule.”

Nothing.

“My habits.”

Silence.

“That’s not normal for a ‘bodyguard." I continued, my voice quieter now. “That’s something else.”

A pause.

“I prepare.”

I frowned slightly. “That’s not preparation. That’s research.”

“It’s the same thing.”

“No, it’s not.”

“It is when it works.”

I stared at him.

“That’s actually insane.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

I let out a frustrated breath. “You don’t see anything wrong with that?”

“No.”

“…Of course you don’t.”

Silence settled again.

But this time it didn’t feel empty.

It felt like something was sitting underneath it.

Something I didn’t understand.

Something he wasn’t saying.

I shifted slightly in my seat, suddenly more aware of him than I had been before.

“So what else do you know?” I asked.

No response.

“My classes?”

Nothing.

“My friends?”

Silence.

“My routine?”

Still nothing.

I exhaled slowly, shaking my head. “You’re really not going to answer anything, are you?”

“No.”

I leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a second before closing my eyes briefly.

“You’re exhausting.”

No response.

But I could feel it.

That quiet presence.

That constant awareness.

Like he was always paying attention even when he wasn’t speaking.

And that was worse than arguing.

Because at least with arguments, you knew where you stood.

This?

This felt like being studied.

I turned my head toward him again, watching him carefully now.

The way his hands stayed steady.

The way his eyes didn’t wander.

The way he only spoke when necessary.

The way every word actually meant something.

“You’re not just here to drive me." I said quietly.

No response.

Of course.

But I didn’t look away this time.

I kept watching him.

Trying to understand what exactly I had been thrown into.

“How long?” I asked.

My voice dropped slightly.

“How long have you been watching me?”

He didn’t answer.

But this time the silence didn’t feel empty.

It felt like confirmation.

*****

The car stopped.

Finally.

I didn’t wait.

I just grabbed my bag and got out immediately, shutting the door behind me harder than necessary.

Freedom.

For now.

I walked toward the school entrance, not looking back, not acknowledging him even though I could feel it.

That quiet presence.

That awareness.

Like he was still watching.

“…God." I muttered under my breath.

I pulled my phone out almost immediately and dialed Logan.

It rang once.

“Tee.”

“Don’t start." I said quickly.

“Good morning to you too.”

“I’m serious.”

“I can hear that.”

I exhaled, running a hand through my hair as I slowed my pace slightly.

“You remember how I told you I got into that accident yesterday?”

“The one you said wasn’t a big deal.”

“It wasn’t.”

“Mm.”

I ignored that.

“Well, apparently it was a big deal to my dad.”

“No surprises.”

I scoffed. “He got me a driver.”

“A driver?”

“And a bodyguard.”

“I told you you would get in trouble one day.”

I stopped walking.

“You’re so unbelievable.”

“I’m just saying.”

“f**k you.”

He laughed.

Actually laughed.

Like this was funny.

“It’s not funny.” I muttered, starting to walk again.

“It kind of is.”

“It’s not.”

“You crashed a car, Tee.”

“I’ve done worse.”

“I know. That’s the problem.”

I rolled my eyes, even though he couldn’t see me.

“You’re supposed to be on my side.”

“I am on your side.”

“Then act like it.”

“I am. I’m just not surprised.”

I exhaled sharply. “It’s not just that.”

“What do you mean?”

I hesitated for a second.

Then glanced back.

Just slightly.

The car was still there.

Of course it was.

I looked away quickly.

“It’s the guy.”

“What guy?”

“The driver.”

“Okay?”

“He’s weird.”

“That’s not shocking.”

“No, like..” I lowered my voice slightly. “He doesn’t talk. At all.”

“So? Maybe he’s just doing his job.”

“No, Logan. He knows things.”

“What kind of things?”

“My schedule. My classes. When I leave. Where I go.”

“Okay, that’s a bit...”

“Exactly.”

“Yeah. That’s weird.”

“I know.”

I adjusted my bag, frowning slightly. “It’s like he’s been watching me or something.”

“That’s literally what a bodyguard does.”

“Not like that.”

“You sure you’re not overthinking it?”

I scoffed. “No.”

“You do that sometimes.”

“I’m not doing it now.”

“Mm.”

I rolled my eyes again. “You’re annoying.”

“I’ve been told.”

“By me. Right now.”

He chuckled.

“Whatever,” I muttered. “I’ll deal with it.”

“You always do.”

“Yeah.

“Try not to crash another car.”

I stopped walking again.

“…You’re actually so annoying.”

“Just saying.”

“f**k off.”

He laughed again.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

I hung up before he could say anything else.

Lowering my phone slowly.

The noise of the campus filled the space around me.

People talking.

Walking.

Living.

Normal.

I exhaled softly, shaking my head.

“This is insane.”