CHAPTER TWELVE_Something He Saw
905 Words
CHAPTER TWELVE
Something He Saw
LILY POV
I didn’t sleep well that night.
Not because anything bad happened.
But because my mind refused to stay quiet.
I kept replaying the same moment over and over again without meaning to.
Damien’s voice.
The way he said my name.
The kiss.
It wasn’t dramatic in my head.
That was the worst part.
It was soft.
Simple.
Confusingly normal.
And that made it harder to understand how I was supposed to feel about it.
I turned in bed for the third time, pulling the blanket over my face.
“It’s fine,” I whispered to myself.
Except it didn’t feel like a sentence that belonged anywhere in my thoughts.
---
The next morning, I almost convinced myself I could act normal.
Almost.
The mansion was unusually quiet at breakfast.
Mom had already left early.
Elias was out of town.
And Asher…
Asher was sitting at the far end of the table like always.
Same posture.
Same silence.
Same unreadable expression.
But something felt slightly off.
I couldn’t explain it properly.
Just a feeling.
Like the air between us was heavier than usual.
I sat down slowly, avoiding eye contact.
“Morning,” I said quietly.
No response.
That wasn’t new.
But this silence felt different.
More deliberate.
I focused on my food.
A few seconds passed.
Then—
“Did you get home late yesterday?”
Asher’s voice broke the silence without warning.
I paused slightly.
“…No,” I said quickly. “Normal time.”
He didn’t look at me.
Just continued eating like the question didn’t matter.
But I felt it anyway.
Like he wasn’t asking casually.
Like he already knew something.
I swallowed lightly.
“…Why?”
A pause.
Then he said, flatly,
“No reason.”
That should’ve ended it.
But it didn’t feel like it ended.
---
School was worse.
Not in an obvious way.
Just… in the way I felt aware of everything around me.
People were talking.
Laughing.
Moving normally.
But I kept noticing things too easily.
Especially when I saw Damien.
He was leaning against the lockers when I walked in.
Same smile as before.
Like nothing had changed.
But when he saw me, something flickered in his expression.
Just for a second.
Then it was gone.
“Hey,” he said casually.
I hesitated. “…Hi.”
There was a small silence.
Not uncomfortable.
Just careful.
“I didn’t make things weird, did I?” he asked suddenly.
I blinked. “What?”
He scratched the back of his neck slightly. “Yesterday. I just—yeah.”
I shook my head quickly. “It’s fine.”
A pause.
Then I added, quieter, “Really.”
He nodded slowly.
“Okay.”
But neither of us moved away immediately.
And that alone felt strange.
---
I didn’t see Asher until lunchtime.
But I felt him before I saw him.
That awareness again.
When I looked up, he was sitting with his usual group.
Same position.
Same silence.
Except his eyes weren’t on them.
They were on me.
Not directly at first.
Just briefly.
Then again.
And again.
Like he was confirming something he didn’t like.
I looked away quickly.
My chest felt slightly tight.
I didn’t understand why.
---
After classes, Damien caught up with me again near the exit.
“Walk with me?” he asked, like last time.
I hesitated.
Then nodded.
We walked slowly down the pathway outside the school gates.
It was quieter here.
Less noise.
Less pressure.
“Are you okay?” he asked after a while.
I looked at him. “Yeah. Why?”
He shrugged slightly. “You seem distracted today.”
I almost laughed a little.
“I always seem distracted here.”
That made him smile faintly.
“Fair.”
We walked a few more steps in silence.
Then Damien spoke again, more carefully this time.
“I was thinking about yesterday.”
My heart shifted slightly.
I didn’t look at him immediately.
“…Okay.”
He exhaled lightly. “I shouldn’t have done it like that.”
I nodded slowly. “You said that already.”
“I know,” he said quickly. “But I mean it.”
Silence.
Then he added, softer,
“I just… like you. That’s all.”
The words were simple.
But they didn’t feel simple.
I didn’t know what to say.
So I didn’t say anything.
We stopped near the gate where my car usually waited.
Damien looked at me.
This time, longer.
Not rushed.
Not unsure like yesterday.
Just… honest.
“I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” he said quietly.
I shook my head slightly. “You didn’t.”
That was true.
But it also wasn’t clear.
My feelings weren’t clear.
Everything felt halfway understood.
Before I could say anything else, the car arrived.
I stepped forward.
Then paused.
Looked back at him.
“…I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said softly.
He smiled again.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Tomorrow.”
I got into the car.
And only when it started moving did I realize—
Asher was standing near the far side of the street.
Still.
Watching.
Not Damien this time.
Me.
And this time, his expression wasn’t neutral anymore.
It was darker than before.
Like something had finally settled in him.
And I didn’t understand yet that I had just crossed into something I couldn’t undo.
- Writer
