Chapter 19
1002 Words
Chapter 19: If She Falls
The room still smelled faintly of ginger tea and rain. Sly stood where she had left him, his hand resting on the edge of the table like he needed something solid to keep himself from unraveling. The weight of what he’d said lingered in the air—too real, too raw.
He hated silence, but this one felt deserved.
The door had clicked shut almost ten minutes ago, and still, he hadn’t moved.
He dragged a hand through his hair, exhaled, then sat back down on the couch. Leaned forward, elbows on knees. His chest was tight.
She said, "Don’t make me need you."
Sly [muttering to himself]
"Too late, Fel."
He hated that she looked at him like that. Like he could undo her if she let him in just one more step. And maybe he could. Maybe he would. But she was terrified of softness, and he was terrified of being forgotten.
He didn’t know how to fix that equation.
A knock on the door startled him. Too soon to be her again, right?
He stood, crossed the floor, and cracked the door open.
It was Leo. Holding a plastic bag and looking like he already regretted stopping by.
Leo [deadpan]
"You look like shit."
Sly [without energy]
"Thanks."
Leo stepped in, kicked off his shoes.
Leo
"I brought the soup from Tita Glo. She said you’d forget to eat again."
Sly [smirking faintly]
"She knows me too well."
Leo dropped the bag on the counter, then turned to look at him.
Leo
"She came, huh?"
There was no need to clarify who. Sly leaned back against the counter, jaw tight.
Sly
"Yeah."
Leo
"And?"
Sly
"And I told her about my mom."
Leo blinked. Slowly. That meant more than anything else.
Leo
"Wow. So you’re serious-serious now."
Sly [scoffing lightly]
"Don’t make it weird."
Leo [sitting down]
"Is she serious-serious?"
Sly didn’t answer. He didn’t know how to.
Instead, he walked over to the sink and poured himself a glass of water. He could feel Leo watching him.
Leo [quietly]
"You good?"
Sly
"Not really."
Leo didn’t say anything for a while. Then—
Leo
"You’re gonna have to be patient with that girl. She walks with armor strapped to her bones."
Sly laughed dryly, looked out the window.
Sly
"I don’t mind the armor. I just wish she’d stop pointing the blade at herself."
Leo [smiling faintly]
"Deep. You write that down somewhere?"
Sly
"I live it."
The conversation slowed, both of them sitting in the kind of quiet only close friends could share without it turning awkward. Eventually, Leo stood.
Leo
"I’ll leave you to your brooding. Lock the door this time, yeah? Last night I almost caught your p*rn face."
Sly [grinning tiredly]
"Shut up."
Leo [grabbing his keys]
"You shut up. And take a damn shower."
When the door closed behind him, Sly sat down again. Stared at his hands.
She pulled away… but she came here. She kissed me like she was drowning.
---
The next day, Feliz sat at her desk pretending to be productive. The cursor blinked like it knew she was lying. Her chest was heavy, her mind looping the same scene on repeat—their mouths pressed together, his skin hot under her fingertips, the way he groaned her name like he’d been starving for her.
She had stopped it.
But she had also started it.
Lia popped her head in from the hallway.
Lia [teasing, sing-song voice]
"You and broody Sly have another fight?"
Feliz [stiffening]
"No."
Lia [mocking gasp]
"Ooooh. So it’s something."
Feliz
"Go away."
Lia [laughing as she walks off]
"You're glowing, girl. Admit it."
Feliz muttered under her breath, cheeks burning.
The glow was from embarrassment. And maybe, from wanting something she knew she shouldn’t want.
Lucas passed by her desk quietly a few minutes later. He didn’t say anything, but he placed a cup of coffee beside her—perfectly the way she liked it. She blinked, surprised, and glanced up.
Lucas [soft smile, no words]
He moved on without waiting for thanks.
Her fingers curled around the warm cup.
She hated that kindness could feel like guilt.
---
Later that evening, she found herself standing outside Sly’s door again. She hadn’t meant to come. She told herself it was a coincidence—just needed air, just walking. But her feet led her here, like memory had muscle.
She raised her hand, hesitated… then knocked.
Sly opened the door shirtless again. Hair messy. Eyes red.
Feliz [quietly]
"You didn’t sleep?"
Sly [shrugging]
"Did you?"
She shook her head.
He stepped aside.
She walked in.
There were no words for a while.
He sat back on the couch. She stood near the bookshelf, fingers grazing over spines of titles she didn’t really read.
Sly
"Why are you here, Fel?"
She didn’t know what to say.
Finally—
Feliz [softly]
"You scare me."
He looked up at her.
Sly [gentle]
"I should scare you."
Feliz
"And I hate that I want you anyway."
Sly
"I hate that I still want you more after hearing that."
She walked over to the couch, sat beside him but not touching.
Feliz
"I don’t know how to be... soft."
Sly [quiet, serious]
"I don’t want soft. I want you. Even when you’re difficult. Especially then."
She turned to him. He was watching her like she was the only star in his sky.
And for a second, the space between them was gone.
Their lips almost met.
Almost.
But she caught herself again. Pulled back.
He didn’t chase.
Just looked at her, breathing steady.
Feliz [barely a whisper]
"I don’t trust myself when I’m near you."
Sly
"I do."
And that somehow made it worse.
She stood up. Looked down at him, heart racing.
Feliz
"If I fall… don’t let me forget who I am."
Sly [whispers]
"Then let me catch you right."
She turned away, afraid she’d cave again.
And maybe, next time… she would.
- Writer
