CHAPTER SEVEN: The Interruption
1398 Words
Zara’s POV
Silas left like a storm, silent, quick, and with a darkness that clung to the air long after the front door slammed behind him.
For a moment, I just stood there, staring at the spot where he’d been. Something in his expression had unsettled me. Not just the message he received, but the tension beneath it.
Like he was fighting something heavier than whatever name flashed on his screen.
Eldorra snapped her fingers in front of my face.
“Earth to Zara. Hello? Did grumpy-hot-guy’s brooding swallow your soul?”
I blinked, shaking my head. “Shut up.”
She gave me a sly smile. “You like him.”
“I don’t,” I said too fast.
Her grin widened. “You really like him.”
I ignored her, moving to gather the scattered bowls from the counter.
The kitchen suddenly felt too quiet, like it was holding onto the echo of Silas’s voice. His warning tone. His eyes. The way his body had boxed me in just minutes before Eldorra barged in.
Eldorra hopped onto a stool, tapping her heels together. “Okay, fine. Denial is a stage of grief. I’ll allow it. But since we’re emotionally spiraling, let me remind you, Bernard’s party is next weekend. And I already picked your outfit.”
“We’re not going,” I muttered.
She gasped. “Zara Annushka Rosewood, don’t play with me.”
I sighed, leaning against the counter. “Eldorra, that last party wasn’t even fun. It was loud, and crowded, and almost,”
“…a disaster, yes, yes,” she waved dismissively. “But this one will be better. Bernard’s parties are infamous. All-white theme, fancy lighting, luxury vibe, and rich boys who smell like heartbreak.”
“That is not encouraging.”
“It wasn’t meant to be.” She grinned. “Come on. Don’t make me go alone. You know I’ll do something stupid.”
“You always do something stupid.”
“Exactly why you should come.”
Her teasing forced a reluctant smile out of me. But the truth was heavy. The idea of being swallowed into another chaotic crowd made my stomach tighten. And Silas’s disapproval lingered in my head too loudly.
He said too many parties weren’t good for me.
He looked genuinely worried.
And for a man as sealed-off as he was, worrying didn’t seem like something he did casually.
Before I could answer Eldorra, my phone buzzed in my pocket.
A text.
I assumed it was her usual crew spamming memes. But the moment my thumb unlocked the screen, my breath hitched.
Silas:
Don’t go to that party.
It’s not safe. And I had to leave suddenly because of work.
My heart skipped. He texted me? After storming out like that?
Eldorra leaned over before I could hide the screen. “Who’s texting,” She paused. “Oh. Oh. It’s him. Of course it’s him.”
I felt my face heat. “Stop reading my messages.”
“Girl. He said don’t go? Why?” Her eyes narrowed. “Now I’m interested.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted.
But I wanted to.
I wanted to know why his voice still rang in my head that exact way, stern, low, careful. I wanted to know why he cared if I went.
I wanted to know what pulled him away so urgently that his jaw locked and all his walls slammed back up.
Eldorra snatched my phone, skimmed the message again, then tossed it back. “Well. He clearly has a stick up his,”
“Eldorra.”
“What? I’m just saying. Men like that? They get worried when they care. Or when they’re possessive. Or when they’re… complicated.”
“He’s not complicated,” I said, even though I wasn’t sure. “He’s just, he’s doing what my dad asked. Looking out for me.”
“Yeah, but he looks out for you like you’re not just a job.”
She smirked. “Like you’re… something else.”
I swallowed. “El, don’t. Please.”
She slid off the stool and draped an arm around my shoulders. “Fine. I won’t push. But you know you can’t just hide in this house because a man with anger issues doesn’t want you to go to a party.”
“He doesn’t have anger issues.”
“Baby, he has issues. I just don’t know what type.”
I exhaled slowly, staring down at the marble counter. My fingers traced the faint smudge Silas left when he picked up the cookie box earlier. I remembered the way he refused to touch my hand. The way he backed off fast, like proximity was dangerous. Like I was dangerous.
Eldorra hummed and jumped away. “Anyway, I need to run to the mall for my outfit. Wanna come?”
“Not today,” I said quietly.
“Tomorrow?”
“We’ll see.”
She sighed dramatically. “Fine. But if you ghost me, I’ll fake my own k********g and make the police come drag you out.”
“That’s extreme.”
“You know me.”
Unfortunately, I did.
When she left, the house finally settled back into silence.
A deep, still quiet that made every thought louder. I cleaned up the kitchen slowly, washed the bowls, wiped the counters, packed the leftover cookie dough into the fridge.
The whole time, Silas’s message pulsed in my mind.
Don’t go to that party.
It’s not safe.
He didn’t say be careful.
He didn’t say I don’t think it’s a good idea.
He didn’t say maybe don’t go.
He said don’t.
Firm. Certain. No room for misinterpretation.
I should have been annoyed. But all I felt was a strange anxiety. And a curiosity I couldn’t quiet.
I moved to the living room, sank onto the couch, and hugged a cushion to my chest. The evening light spilled through the window, turning the house orange and warm. But my mind was restless.
What was Silas doing right now?
What or who made him stare at his screen that way?
Why did his entire expression shift into something dark enough to make him leave without a word?
And why did the idea of him being in trouble make my throat tighten?
My phone buzzed again.
I sat up quickly, but it wasn’t him this time.
It was Eldorra dropping her usual chaos.
Eldorra:
Wear something short. I want Bernard to choke when you walk in.
I rolled my eyes and set the phone aside.
Bernard’s party.
The thought sparked unease again. Not fear, exactly. But something close. Something Silas’s tone had carved into me without my permission. He sounded… worried. Genuinely. And not just because of my father.
At least, I didn’t think so.
I pulled my knees to my chest, staring at the ceiling.
Maybe I wouldn’t go.
Maybe I’d stay home and avoid the mess entirely.
Maybe,
My phone vibrated again.
Not Eldorra.
Not a meme chat.
Not spam.
My breath held when I saw the name.
Silas.
My fingers trembled slightly as I unlocked the screen.
Silas:
Ignore Eldorra. I’m serious. Don’t go.
Not this one.
I stared at the words for a long moment.
Not this one.
Not like he was telling me to avoid all parties.
Not like he was trying to control anything.
Just this:
Something about this crowd.
Something he knew that I didn’t.
I typed before I could stop myself.
Zara:
Why?
The three dots appeared. Then disappeared. Then appeared again.
He was debating.
Finally:
Silas:
I’ll tell you tomorrow.
Tomorrow.
A promise.
Strangely, it calmed me. Even though I hadn’t realized I was anxious until the tension in my chest loosened.
I swallowed hard.
Zara:
Okay.
I won’t go.
I dropped the phone onto the couch and leaned back, letting the quiet settle again. The house felt warmer.
Or maybe I was just imagining it. Maybe the idea that he’d texted twice, worried, insisting, promising to explain, had soothed something in me I didn’t want to acknowledge.
I curled into the couch cushions and closed my eyes.
But somewhere deep inside, beneath all the logic and excuses and doubts…
I knew one thing for certain.
Whatever storm Silas walked into when he left,
he didn’t want me anywhere near the next one.
And that terrified me more than the party ever could.
- Writer
