Beneath His Voice
240 Words
CHAPTER 17: Beneath His Voice
The air was thick with unsaid words.
Jay stood near the window, his back to her, a cigarette burning slowly between his fingers, though he never seemed to smoke it. Lena watched the smoke curl like thoughts unspoken, like confessions afraid to take shape.
“Was that your brother?” she asked, voice quiet but firm.
Jay didn’t turn. “No.”
Silence stretched.
Lena stepped closer. “Then who was it?”
He turned then—slowly, deliberately—his eyes dark and unreadable. “Someone I owe.”
Lena swallowed, fear and curiosity clashing inside her. “Owe… what? Money?”
Jay laughed, but it was hollow. “No. Something more valuable.”
“Like what?”
He took a step forward. Then another. His hand reached up—not to touch her, but to gently tug a strand of her hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered for just a moment too long.
“Like loyalty,” he murmured.
Lena’s heart thudded painfully in her chest. There was something broken behind his gaze, something too deep for her to reach. But she wanted to reach it anyway.
Before she could stop herself, she asked, “Were you ever going to tell me the truth?”
His jaw clenched. “You sure you want it?”
She nodded.
Jay whispered, “Then stay close. But don’t ever say I didn’t warn you.”
- Writer
