Chapter 6: Unsettling presence
1136 Words
The afternoon passed slowly for Ava.
After leaving the kitchen earlier, she had remained inside her room longer than she intended. She tried to distract herself by reading again, but the same problem followed her there—her mind simply refused to focus.
Every time she opened a page, her thoughts drifted back to the kitchen.
To Jed.
They laughed so easily together.
Ava sighed softly and closed the book on her lap.
“This is ridiculous,” she muttered under her breath.
She stood up and walked toward the large window in her bedroom. The garden outside looked peaceful, the soft wind swaying the branches of the tall trees surrounding the mansion.
Normally the quietness of the house comforted her.
But today it felt different.
Almost unsettling.
Her stomach tightened slightly when she remembered the moment she had left the kitchen. The comfortable atmosphere between her and Jed had ended too suddenly.
Too awkwardly.
She pressed her fingers lightly against her temple.
“I did the right thing,” she told herself firmly.
Still, something about it felt unfinished.
Downstairs, Jed sat at the dining table with the lunch Ava had prepared.
He had turned off the gas as she asked and finished plating the food.
But instead of eating immediately, he leaned back in his chair, staring thoughtfully at the doorway she had disappeared through earlier.
Something about Ava intrigued him.
At first, he had simply noticed that she seemed quiet.
But now he realized there was something deeper beneath her calm exterior.
She smiled politely.
She behaved like the perfect wife.
Yet there was always a faint sadness in her eyes when she thought no one was looking.
Jed had seen it more than once.
And earlier in the kitchen, for a brief moment, that sadness had disappeared.
She laughed freely.
Genuinely.
It made him wonder how often she actually laughed like that.
Probably not very often.
Jed picked up his fork and finally began eating.
But even as he tasted the food, he couldn’t help smiling slightly.
Ava was an interesting woman.
Much more interesting than he had expected.
Later that evening, Ava finally left her room.
She felt slightly embarrassed for hiding upstairs for so long.
The house staff moved quietly through the hallways as usual, preparing for dinner.
Ava walked down the staircase slowly.
She paused when she heard a familiar voice coming from the living room.
Jed.
He was on the phone, speaking casually.
“Yeah, I arrived yesterday,” he was saying. “I’ll probably stay here for a while.”
Ava hesitated, unsure if she should walk past or turn around.
Before she could decide, Jed noticed her.
His conversation paused for a moment.
Then he said into the phone, “I’ll call you back later.”
He ended the call and looked at her with a small smile.
“You disappeared for quite a long time.”
Ava folded her arms lightly.
“I told you I had a headache.”
Jed tilted his head slightly.
“And is it better now?”
“Yes.”
A brief silence followed.
Ava suddenly realized something.
“Why are you staying here for a while?” she asked before she could stop herself.
Jed leaned casually against the sofa.
“My brother invited me.”
Ava frowned slightly.
“Leo invited you?”
“Yes.”
Jed nodded.
“He thought it would be good for me to spend some time here before I return abroad.”
That surprised Ava.
Leo had never mentioned anything like that.
“I see,” she said quietly.
Jed studied her expression carefully.
“You look disappointed.”
“I’m not.”
He chuckled softly.
“You’re a terrible liar, Ava.”
Her eyes widened slightly at the familiar words.
The same words he had said the day before.
She immediately turned away.
“I’m not lying.”
Jed took a slow step closer.
“I’m not trying to annoy you,” he said calmly. “I’m just… observing.”
Ava crossed her arms tighter.
“Observing what?”
“You.”
That answer caught her off guard.
“Why?”
Jed shrugged slightly.
“Because you’re interesting.”
Ava blinked in disbelief.
“No one has ever described me like that before.”
“Then they clearly weren’t paying attention.”
His tone was light, but his gaze was steady.
For some reason, Ava felt suddenly aware of the space between them.
Too aware.
She quickly stepped aside.
“You should probably eat dinner soon,” she said, changing the subject.
“The staff will prepare it shortly.”
Jed smiled faintly.
“You’re good at changing topics.”
Ava ignored the comment.
“I have something to finish upstairs,” she said quickly.
Before Jed could respond, she walked toward the staircase again.
But just as she reached the first step, Jed spoke again.
“Ava.”
She stopped.
Slowly, she turned around.
Jed was still standing where she left him.
“Thank you for lunch earlier,” he said.
“It was really good.”
For a moment, Ava didn’t know what to say.
Then she gave a small nod.
“You’re welcome.”
She turned again and walked upstairs.
This time she didn’t stop.
That night, Ava lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
The house had gone quiet again.
Leo still hadn’t returned from work.
She wondered briefly if he would come home late like usual.
Her mind drifted back to the evening conversation.
Jed’s voice echoed softly in her thoughts.
“You’re interesting.”
Ava sighed quietly.
No one had ever said that to her before.
For years, people had only described her in simple ways.
Polite.
Elegant.
Responsible.
But never interesting.
She turned to her side and pulled the blanket slightly higher.
“I need to stop thinking about him,” she whispered to herself.
Yet the more she tried to push the thoughts away, the more persistent they became.
Down the hallway, Jed stood by the balcony window in the guest room Leo had prepared for him.
The night air was cool and quiet.
He looked down at the dark garden thoughtfully.
For reasons he couldn’t fully explain yet, Ava occupied his mind as well.
There was something fragile about her.
Something lonely.
And somehow, he felt strangely drawn to it.
Jed exhaled slowly and shook his head.
“This might get complicated,” he murmured to himself.
But the thought didn’t seem to bother him as much as it probably should have.
Far from it.
In fact, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Because deep down, Jed had a feeling that the longer he stayed in that house…
the harder it would become for either of them to pretend nothing was happening.
- Writer
