Tempting My Sister's Best Friend

Silence Between Us

Chapter Seven – Silence Between Us

Days turned into weeks, and the unspoken things grew heavier.

What had once been easy laughter, dinners, shared jokes now felt strained. Sophie could feel it every time they were together, like a storm waiting to break.

Daniel had become quieter, his thoughts elsewhere.

Ava, on the other hand, had perfected the art of pretending. She smiled when she had to, laughed when expected, and changed the subject whenever his name came up.

But Sophie saw through it or at least, she felt something wasn’t right.

One Sunday afternoon, Sophie invited both of them over for lunch.

She wanted to “get things back to normal,” though she wasn’t sure what normal was anymore.

When Daniel arrived, Ava was already there, helping Sophie set the table. Their eyes met for the first time in two weeks.

A polite nod. Nothing more. But that small exchange sent a quiet ache through both of them.

Lunch was pleasant on the surface Sophie chatting, Daniel nodding, Ava smiling.

But beneath the surface, it was all performance.

At one point, Sophie excused herself to take a call, leaving Daniel and Ava alone in the kitchen. The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating.

Daniel finally broke it.

“How long are we going to keep doing this?”

Ava kept her eyes on the counter. “Doing what?”

“Pretending.”

Her hands tightened around the edge of the table. “There’s nothing to pretend about.”

“Then why can’t you even look at me?”

Ava turned, eyes glistening. “Because looking at you reminds me of what I can’t have, Daniel.”

He stepped closer. “I never wanted to make this complicated. I just”

“Care about me?” she interrupted bitterly. “Because that’s exactly what makes it complicated.”

Before he could respond, Sophie’s voice echoed from the hallway.

Ava stepped back instantly, wiping her eyes.

When Sophie walked in, she noticed the tension Daniel’s clenched jaw, Ava’s trembling hands — and her chest tightened.

The laughter that followed felt forced, hollow.

After lunch, when Daniel left, Sophie turned to Ava.

“Hey… you okay?”

Ava forced a smile. “Of course. Why?”

“You’ve just seemed… different lately.”

Ava froze for a heartbeat before replying softly, “We all have.”

That night, Sophie couldn’t sleep. She replayed the afternoon again and again the way Daniel avoided Ava’s gaze, the way Ava’s voice shook when she spoke.

Something was wrong, and she could feel it in her bones.

Meanwhile, Daniel sat in his car outside his apartment, gripping the steering wheel. He wanted to call Ava to hear her voice, to say something that would make it easier. But he didn’t.

He just sat there in the silence, realizing how much damage love could do when it was left unspoken.

And somewhere across the city, Ava stood by her window, watching the lights blur in her tears.

She whispered into the night, “God, give me the strength to let go.”

But her heart didn’t listen.