Things We Don’t Say
526 Words
Rain tapped against the windows like a quiet warning.
Soft. Relentless. Unavoidable.
Aria stood by the glass, arms wrapped around herself, watching the city blur behind the downpour. The guest room felt colder tonight. Emptier. Like even the walls had started whispering doubts she didn’t want to hear.
Downstairs, she heard the front door open. Then close.
Liam was back.
It was nearly midnight.
---
She found him in the kitchen, jacket soaked, hair damp, shirt sticking to his frame. He’d clearly walked through the rain instead of waiting for the driver. But why?
Liam looked up and paused when he saw her.
“You’re still awake,” he said simply.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she replied, voice soft.
Silence stretched between them.
Then — without a word — Liam opened the cupboard and pulled down two mugs.
“You still drink tea when it rains?” he asked, not looking at her.
Her heart stuttered.
> He remembered.
She nodded.
---
They sat across from each other at the kitchen island, two steaming mugs between them. The rain outside filled the silence they didn’t know how to break.
Finally, Aria whispered, “Why did you walk home?”
Liam looked up slowly. “I needed to feel something.”
The words hit her like a ripple under the surface. Not loud. But deep.
She stared at him — not the cold CEO everyone feared. But the boy she used to know. The one who once gave her his hoodie on a freezing school trip. The one who carved her initials into a tree they both forgot existed.
“What happened to us?” she asked, barely audible.
Liam didn’t answer at first. Then he said, “Life happened.”
“No,” she said firmly. “You let it.”
His jaw tensed. His fingers clenched around the mug.
“You think I had a choice?” he muttered. “You think I wanted this? Any of it?”
“Then why did you choose it?” she demanded.
He met her eyes, and for the first time, the storm inside him matched the one outside.
“I didn’t choose the company over you, Aria. I chose survival.”
The room went silent again. This time heavier.
Aria stood, pacing slightly. “You always act like you’re the only one who got hurt. Like I didn’t lose something too.”
“What did you lose?” he asked bitterly.
She turned to face him. “You.”
That shut him up.
For a long moment, neither moved.
Then Liam walked toward her. Slowly. Hesitantly. Like he wasn’t sure if it was anger or longing pulling him closer.
Aria didn’t step back.
His hand lifted — hovering near her cheek — but didn’t touch.
His breath was warm. His eyes darker than she’d ever seen them.
And for one split second, she thought he’d kiss her.
But he didn’t.
He pulled away.
> “Goodnight, Aria,” he said quietly, and walked out.
Leaving behind a silence heavier than
words…
And a girl standing alone, wondering why almost always hurt more than nothing at all.
- Writer
