Some feelings don’t grow louder…they grow heavier until silence can’t hold them anymore.
———
It started with a pause.
Not dramatic.
Not obvious.
Just long enough to feel different.
Keira had been talking.
Something simple.
Something normal.
But halfway through her sentence—
she stopped.
Because Ziven wasn’t fully looking at her anymore.
Not distracted.
Not distant.
Just… caught in thought for a second too long.
And she felt it immediately.
That small shift.
“Ziven,” she said softly.
He blinked.
Looked at her properly again.
“Sorry,” he said quickly.
“I wasn’t— go on.”
But she didn’t continue right away.
Because something had changed in her expression.
Something quiet.
Something unsettled.
“What were you thinking about?” she asked.
Ziven hesitated.
Just briefly.
