Chapter 8- Stay inside
1290 Words
Sienna didn’t open the bookstore that day.
For the first time since she started working there—she didn’t even try.
The sign on the door stayed flipped to **Closed**, the lights dim, the space quiet in a way that felt unnatural.
Like something had been taken from it.
---
She sat on the floor behind the counter, her back resting against the wood, knees pulled in slightly.
Her phone lay beside her.
Face down.
Silent—for now.
---
It hadn’t always been silent.
All morning, it had buzzed nonstop.
Messages.
Notifications.
Calls from numbers she didn’t recognize.
She stopped reading them after the first few.
She didn’t need to.
They all said the same thing.
---
Stay away from him.
You don’t deserve him.
We know where you are.
---
Sienna squeezed her eyes shut.
Just for a second.
Trying to breathe past the tightness in her chest.
---
A soft knock broke the silence.
---
Her head snapped up.
The sound echoed louder than it should have.
Too sharp.
Too sudden.
---
Another knock.
More firm this time.
---
Sienna didn’t move.
Didn’t speak.
Didn’t even breathe properly.
---
Then—
“Sienna.”
Her heart stopped.
---
His voice.
---
She stood too quickly, her hand catching the edge of the counter to steady herself.
“What are you doing here?” she called, her voice tight.
There was a pause on the other side of the door.
“…You didn’t answer your phone.”
“I told you not to come.”
“I know.”
---
That wasn’t an answer.
---
Sienna walked toward the door slowly.
Carefully.
Like each step mattered.
---
“You shouldn’t be here,” she said again, quieter now.
“And you shouldn’t be alone right now.”
---
Her hand hovered near the lock.
Hesitating.
---
“You said you’d stay away.”
“I said I would,” he replied. “I didn’t say I’d do it well.”
---
Despite everything—
That almost made her smile.
Almost.
---
But the fear still sat heavy in her chest.
---
“They were here,” she said.
Silence.
Then—
“…Who?”
“People,” she answered. “This morning. Two of them. They didn’t come in, but they were outside. Taking pictures.”
---
The air shifted instantly.
Even through the door, she could feel it.
---
“Are you okay?” he asked, voice sharper now.
“I locked the door.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
---
Sienna swallowed.
“I’m fine.”
---
Another pause.
Longer.
---
“Sienna… open the door.”
---
Her fingers tightened slightly.
“I shouldn’t.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you asking?”
---
Silence.
---
Then, softer—
“Because I need to see you.”
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Her chest tightened.
Hard.
---
For a moment—
She didn’t move.
Didn’t think.
Didn’t breathe.
---
Then—
She unlocked the door.
---
The moment it opened—
He stepped inside quickly, closing it behind him like he was shutting the world out.
---
For a second—
They just stood there.
Looking at each other.
---
He looked worse.
More tired.
More tense.
Like he hadn’t slept at all.
---
“You’re not fine,” he said quietly.
Sienna crossed her arms slightly.
“I said I was.”
“And I said you’re not.”
---
The familiarity of it—the way they argued like this, like nothing had changed—made her chest ache.
---
“You shouldn’t be here,” she repeated.
He didn’t answer that.
Instead—
He stepped closer.
Just enough to close the distance.
Not enough to overwhelm.
---
“Did they say anything to you?” he asked.
“No.”
“Did they try to come in?”
“No.”
“Did they—”
“I’m okay, Soohyun.”
Her voice softened slightly.
Just enough to stop him.
---
He exhaled slowly.
Running a hand through his hair.
Trying to calm himself down.
---
“They won’t stop,” he said finally.
“I know.”
“I can have security—”
“No.”
The word came out immediately.
Firm.
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He frowned.
“Sienna—”
“I don’t want people following me around,” she said. “I don’t want this to get bigger.”
“It already is.”
---
That hit.
Hard.
---
Silence settled between them again.
Heavy.
---
“You should go,” she said.
But it didn’t sound like before.
Not sharp.
Not final.
Just… tired.
---
He shook his head slightly.
“I’m not leaving you like this.”
“You already did.”
---
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
---
He froze.
---
“I mean—” she started, but it was too late.
---
“No,” he said quietly. “You’re right.”
---
The honesty in his voice made it worse.
---
“I didn’t want to leave,” he continued. “But I had to.”
“And now?”
---
He met her eyes.
“I still have to.”
---
Sienna looked away.
Of course he did.
He always would.
---
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t care,” he added.
---
Her chest tightened again.
---
“Caring isn’t enough,” she said softly.
---
Another step.
Closer now.
---
“I know.”
---
Their voices had dropped.
Lower.
Quieter.
Like the world outside didn’t exist.
---
“But I’m here anyway,” he said.
---
Sienna’s breath caught.
---
“You shouldn’t be,” she whispered.
---
He didn’t move away.
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“Probably not.”
---
The distance between them felt too small again.
Too dangerous.
Too familiar.
---
“You said to stay inside,” she said.
“I meant you.”
A faint, tired smile.
---
Despite herself—
She let out a small breath of laughter.
---
“Of course you did.”
---
For a second—
Everything softened.
---
Then—
A sound outside.
Voices.
---
Both of them stilled.
---
Sienna’s heart jumped.
“What was that?”
---
Soohyun’s expression changed instantly.
Back to alert.
Focused.
---
“Stay back,” he said.
---
He moved toward the window slowly, careful not to be seen.
---
Sienna watched him.
The shift in him.
The way he carried himself now.
Different.
Controlled.
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“Two people,” he murmured. “Phones out.”
---
Her stomach dropped.
“They’re back.”
---
Soohyun’s jaw tightened.
---
“I need to leave,” he said.
---
The words hit immediately.
Sharp.
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Sienna nodded.
“Yeah.”
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He turned toward her.
Hesitating.
Like he didn’t want to.
Like he was being forced to.
---
“I’ll fix this,” he said again.
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She didn’t argue this time.
---
“Just… be careful,” he added.
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Sienna let out a small, tired breath.
“You too.”
---
He moved toward the door.
Stopped.
Turned back.
---
For a second—
It looked like he might say something else.
Something that mattered.
---
But instead—
He just nodded.
---
Then he left.
---
The bell didn’t chime this time.
The door didn’t open wide.
He slipped out quietly.
Like he had never been there.
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Sienna stood in the middle of the bookstore.
Listening.
Waiting.
---
The voices outside faded.
The footsteps disappeared.
---
Silence returned.
---
But it didn’t feel safe.
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It felt like the calm before something worse.
---
And this time—
She knew it wasn’t going to pass quietly.
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