Conflicted
1092 Words
The press conference was over, and they were on their way home.
But Talon was quiet. Too quiet.
Halo noticed it the moment they got into the car. At first, she assumed he was just processing everything, but as the ride stretched on, the silence became unsettling.
She, on the other hand, was still buzzing from the adrenaline. "I didn't expect to handle those questions like that," she admitted, glancing at him. "I thought I'd stutter or freeze, but somehow, I managed. It was weird. Sometimes, I zoned out, and sometimes, I thought I'd slip up, but-"
She paused, frowning. Talon wasn't reacting. Not even a smirk, a sarcastic remark, nothing. He was staring ahead, his fingers tapping lightly against his thigh, lost in thought.
Halo shifted uncomfortably. "Are you even listening?"
Talon blinked, as if snapping back to reality. His gaze flickered toward her, unreadable. "Hm?"
She narrowed her eyes. "What's with you?"
"Nothing," he said, too casually.
She wasn't convinced, but before she could press further, the car rolled to a stop in front of their home. Talon exhaled, pushing open the door. Halo followed, her unease growing. Whatever was on his mind, she wasn't going to let it slide.
Inside, the air felt heavier than usual. Halo lingered in the living room while Talon paced toward the kitchen. His posture was rigid, his hands shoved into his pockets. Something was wrong.
Halo crossed her arms. "Do you mean nothing?" she asked, her voice skeptical.
Talon sighed, but it was more out of frustration than fatigue. "Yes, Halo. Nothing."
She scoffed. "You don't seem to be telling the truth."
He didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out his phone, scrolled through something, and then shoved it back into his pocket. Halo wasn't about to let him brush her off.
"You've been acting weird since we left. What happened?"
"Nothing happened," Talon muttered.
"Liar," she shot back.
He turned his head, his expression unreadable. "Halo-"
Before he could finish, his phone buzzed again. He glanced at the screen, reading the email invitation before shutting his phone off with a sigh.
"We have an invite," he said, turning to her. "A business partner is hosting a party for his daughter."
Halo perked up immediately. She had never attended a party before, not a real one at least. Excitement bubbled inside her, and just as she was about to ask what kind of party it was, Talon pocketed his phone and said, "We're not going."
Her smile froze.
"What?" she blinked. "What do you mean we're not going?"
Talon didn't even glance at her. "We're not attending."
Halo frowned. "Do you have issues with them?"
"No."
That only confused her more. If he had no problems with the people hosting the event, then why was he refusing? He hadn't even asked if she wanted to go.
"Talon," she said slowly, trying to keep her voice steady, "I want to go."
His expression remained unreadable. "We're not going."
Halo stared at him, her fingers tightening against the fabric of her dress. "End of discussion?" she repeated, her voice laced with disbelief.
Talon sighed, rubbing his temple as if he were growing tired of the conversation. "Yes, Halo. Drop it."
But she couldn’t just drop it. He had dismissed her so easily, without even considering her opinion. Gosh, the fact that he had made a decision for both of them without consulting her.
"Talon, I've never been to a party before." She folded her arms, her brows furrowing. "I'd like to go."
He finally turned his head, meeting her gaze with that sharp, assessing stare of his. "And I said no."
Halo's frustration rose. "That's not a reason."
"I don't need to give you a reason," he countered.
She inhaled sharply, resisting the urge to throw something at him. "So that's how this marriage is going to be? You make the decisions, and I just follow along like some obedient little wife?"
Talon exhaled through his nose, his jaw clenching. "It's not safe."
Halo blinked. "What?"
His expression was unreadable, but there was something tense in his posture. "We are not going, and that is final."
A beat of silence passed.
Halo studied him carefully, noticing the way his fingers tapped against his knee, the way his gaze was fixed on nothing in particular.
She stayed quiet. She was not normally one to get angry or riled up quickly, having spent years locking away her emotions. But she had said goodbye to a lot of things in the past day. She would express herself now, whenever she wanted to.
She turned to Talon, "I understand that some men feel they have accomplished a lot, and because of that, they believe it's their right to make decisions over the lives of others. But for so long, everybody has made decisions for me, and I will not let you do that."
She met his gaze, unwavering. "I am your wife, as you said, just in name. That means you are my husband, just in name. I don't owe you anything apart from the deal we made. You wanted a wife, and in return, you offered me freedom, freedom to do what I want, to go where I want. And now, you're stopping me from going to this party?"
Talon took a deep breath. He couldn’t even explain what he saw, because, to be honest, he wasn't sure about what he saw.
But for now, he had to call his father and let him know to keep his rabid soon away from doing anything stupid.
But at this point, he didn't know what to tell Halo. He didn't want to get her worked up over nothing. And honestly, anything involving Zorro was best kept silent until he knew what his brother's move was.
Getting married was a step he had accomplished. Once he met with their father and placed the family ring on Halo's finger with his approval, he would finally have what he had worked for all this time.
And he couldn't afford to have Zorro ruining that, especially not by harming Halo before it happened.
But Halo wasn't listening.
She stood there, her arms crossed, her gaze sharp with disappointment. And that disappointment made Talon uncomfortable in a way he couldn't explain.
How could he get her to listen? How could he make her understand without saying too much?
His silence wasn't helping. But speaking the truth wasn't an option either.
So he just stood there, watching her, while she waited for an answer he couldn't give.
- Writer
