The Parts I Never Show
620 Words
📖 Chapter 14: The Parts I Never Show
The night didn’t end when the date did.
It followed me home.
In my thoughts.
In my chest.
In the way, I kept replaying everything he said.
Everything he did.
I was sitting on my bed, staring at nothing when my phone buzzed.
Dante: Are you awake?
My heart skipped.
I stared at the message for a few seconds…
Then, he replied.
Me: Yes.
It didn’t even take a minute.
My phone rang.
“Hello?” I said softly.
“You’re thinking again.”
I frowned slightly. “Do you always know?”
“Yes.”
“That’s annoying.”
A low chuckle came from the other side.
And just like that—
The tension from earlier melted a little.
We stayed on the phone.
Talking.
Not about anything serious at first.
Just… simple things.
But even that felt different.
Real.
“Tell me something about you,” he said after a while.
I hesitated.
“I don’t think you’ll like it.”
“Try me.”
I sighed softly.
“It’s not as interesting as your life.”
“I didn’t ask for interesting.”
Silence.
Then—
“I grew up… not having much,” I admitted quietly. “It’s always been just me trying to make things work.”
He didn’t interrupt.
Didn’t rush me.
So I continued.
“I don’t have people protecting me like you do,” I said. “Everything I have… I had to fight for it.”
My voice softened.
“And I’m scared of losing that.”
The line stayed quiet for a moment.
Then—
“You won’t.”
My brows furrowed. “You can’t promise that.”
“I can.”
His voice was calm.
Certain.
Like always.
“I don’t want to depend on you,” I said honestly.
“Then don’t.”
That caught me off guard.
“What?”
“I didn’t choose you because you need me,” he said. “I chose you because you don’t.”
My heart skipped.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t be there,” he added.
And somehow—
That meant more.
I leaned back against my pillow.
“Why are you like this?” I asked softly.
“Like what?”
“Complicated.”
A pause.
Then—
“Because simple things don’t last.”
Silence filled the call again.
But it wasn’t empty.
It was… comfortable.
“Liana.”
“Yes?”
“If things get dangerous…” he said slowly, “you’ll listen to me.”
My heart tightened.
“Why are you saying that?”
“Just answer.”
I hesitated.
Then—
“…okay.”
“Say it properly.”
I rolled my eyes slightly, even though he couldn’t see me.
“I’ll listen to you.”
“Good.”
Something about that felt important.
Like a promise.
One I didn’t fully understand yet.
“Dante?”
“Yes.”
“…thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not treating me like everyone else.”
A small pause.
Then—
“You’re not everyone else.”
My heart softened again.
Too easily.
Too fast.
We stayed on the call longer than we should have.
Talking.
Laughing—just a little.
Until—
“Sleep,” he said.
“You too.”
“I don’t sleep much.”
“That’s not healthy.”
“I didn’t ask.”
I smiled.
“You should try.”
Silence.
Then—
“Goodnight, Liana.”
“Goodnight, Dante.”
The call ended.
But the feeling?
It stayed.
As I closed my eyes that night—
For the first time in a long time—
I didn’t feel alone.
- Writer
