Chapter 31: Before You Go
Athena closed the door behind her more carefully than necessary, as though the sound of it might disturb something already fragile in the room. Bobby looked up from his desk, and for a moment neither of them spoke. The silence wasn’t new, but it felt different now—thinner, like it could snap if either of them moved too quickly. “Hey.” “Hi.” It was the kind of exchange that should have been nothing, but it lingered longer than it should have, settling between them with a weight neither acknowledged. Athena shifted where she stood, suddenly aware of the space separating them. It hadn’t always felt like this. Once, crossing a room to him had been effortless. Now it felt deliberate. “I just wanted to tell you,” She began, her voice quieter than she intended, “I’m leaving tomorrow.” Bobby
- Writer
