I opened my eyes slowly.
( The first thing I noticed was the quiet—not the heavy, ringing silence of a headache or regret, but the kind that felt… safe. )
( The curtains were half-drawn, letting pale morning light spill into the room, softening everything it touched. Dust floated lazily in the air, glowing for a moment before disappearing.)
"Are you awake?"
( The dark voice came from behind me.)
( I fastly jolted upright instantly, heart racing, and turned to see Rylan sitting on the chair beside the bed.)
"I—I'm awake. Y-yeah. I'm awake," I said, chuckling nervously like a fool.
( I knew he sensed it—my awkwardness—because he let out a soft chuckle in return. It wasn't loud. Just light. Like a feather brushing past my ears.)
"Are you making fun of me?" I glared at him now, fully sitting up and leaning back against the headboard.
[ He straightened, to he's chair arms crossing over his chest, his expression turning serious. ]
"Nope. Why would I make fun of you, Aira?"
"You do that, okay? I heard you chuckle," I said, crossing my arms too, mirroring him without realizing it.
"Am I?" he asked, his voice dropping into that spicy, deep tone that made my stomach flip.
[ He tilted his head slightly.]
- Our eyes locked for a second—too long.
( I looked away quickly and finally took in the room around me.)
The room was nothing like mine.
( It was calm. Too calm. Clean lines, dark tones—charcoal walls softened by warm wooden furniture. Nothing unnecessary, nothing loud. A large window stood on the far side, curtains drawn just enough to let the morning in, as if even the light knew its limits here.)
[ Everything was placed with intention.]
( A bookshelf stood against one wall, not decorative—used. Files stacked neatly, a few books pushed back like they'd been read more than once. A watch rested on the side table, expensive but simple. No clutter. No chaos.)
( The bed beneath me was firm, the kind meant for rest, not comfort bought for show. Even the air felt controlled, steady—like the person who owned this room.)
- This place didn't feel temporary.
"Where am I?"
"In my room," he replied, his tone firm.
I turned to him. "Oh… so it's yours."
A small smile tugged at my lips. "I knew it was."
His eyebrow twitched. "How?"
I smirked lightly. "It's colorless."
[ I watched his face carefully, waiting for him to deny my explanation.]
He sighed. "Yeah. It's my room. With a COLOURLESS interior."
[ He put extra pressure on the word colorless, clearly mocking me back.]
( I stared at him, trying to figure out if he was just showing off—or deliberately playing with me.)
"What?" he asked.
"Are you—ugh—never mind." I shook my head and sighed.
"I think I should go. You need your peaceful room, and I'm probably disturbing that peace, right?"
[ He looked at me for a moment, unreadable.]
Then he said, "Yeah. Of course. Last time, you were pretty loud—"
He stopped himself mid-sentence.
"What do you mean, Rylan?" My eyes widened.
I quickly pushed the blanket away, panic flashing through me.
- Nothing was wrong.
[ I was fully dressed—just wearing a long jacket, zipped all the way up to my neck.]
"Hey—don't worry," he said quickly. "By loud, I meant you were mumbling nonsense in your sleep. Not… whatever you're thinking."
He glanced at me, then added, "And that jacket is mine. So don't get any inappropriate ideas."
"Seriously?" I muttered. "Am I thinking it… or are you saying it?"
I let out a breath. "I thought we made another mistake."
"Mistake?" he repeated sharply.
Only then did I realize what I had said.
"Rylan—th-that's not what I meant. Actually—"
- He stood up abruptly.
- He ran a hand through the back of his neck—frustrated. I knew it.
- But when he spoke again, his voice was calm. Too calm.
"Aira. Just go. I don't want anyone seeing you in my room. People will talk."
He paused. "So… can you leave now?"
I stared at him, dumbfounded.
Then I nodded and quickly stood up to the bed . "Y-yeah. Right. Um… my phone and bag?"
"They're on the chair," he said.
- I grabbed them without another word.
- We didn't say anything else.
( I stepped out of his room and closed the door behind me. I stood there for a second, pressing my lips together, then took a long breath and walked away.)
- Rylan's room was on the north side of the second floor.
- Mine was on the south.
- I walked straight ahead—didn't look back.
Because I knew it.
- I had said the wrong thing too easily.
- And I knew… I had hurt him.
[ Hours later, we were all sitting at the dining table.]
- Family.
- Yeah… family.
( It was only my second time having lunch like this. Usually, in the afternoons, I was at college—or in a weekend Rylan's father was busy and never around. But today was different. Everyone was here. )
- Except noah she is in her school
- And also Rylan and I had both taken the day off so that's we both are here for lunch.
( Before lunch, I'd showered, changed, and finally checked my phone. It was flooded with messages—dozens of them. Missed calls too.)
- I'd face-timed Ava first.
( That's when I realized something—Ava, Mila, and Rhea were all at Ava's house. Luka had taken them there after the party because, apparently, that was the only place he knew well enough. They'd woken up together, confused, hungover… and the first thing they noticed was that I wasn't there.)
They kept asking for me.
( When they called Luka, he told them the truth—that Rylan had come to the party and taken me with him. That's how they found out I had a stepbrother.)
- So I told them everything.
- Well… almost everything.
- I told them Rylan was in our college.
- I didn't tell them about Greece.
- I didn't tell them about the tension.
Or the fight .
- Or the way things felt broken between us.
( I didn't want chaos. Not now. Especially not when all of us were drunk and confused that night.)
[ After the call ended, I came downstairs for lunch.]
( Now, here I was—poking my food absentmindedly, my thoughts circling one question again and again.)
[ Why and how did Rylan even come to that party?]
- He'd said it himself—he doesn't attend kids' parties.
- So why that night?
- Why there?
[ I glanced at him without realizing I was doing it.]
- Just for a second.
( But when he lifted his eyes, I immediately looked back down at my plate, my heart jumping like I'd been caught doing something wrong.)
[ Then my mother's voice broke the silence.]
"So, Aira," she said warmly, smiling at me,
"how was your party? Tell me about it."
[ I froze for half a second.]
( The spoon paused mid-air, my fingers tightening around it. I could feel Rylan beside me—not looking, not moving—but somehow more present than anyone else at the table.)
"It was…" I started, then stopped, clearing my throat.
- Good.
- Bad.
- A disaster.
None of those felt safe to say.
"It was fine," I said finally, forcing a small smile. "Just… loud. You know how parties are."
My mother laughed softly. "You don't really like loud places."
I shrugged, poking my food again. "Yeah. But my friends do. So… I stayed."
( Across the table, someone hummed in understanding. The conversation almost moved on.)
Almost.
"And you came back early," she added casually, like it was nothing.
My breath hitched.
"Uh—yeah," I said quickly. "I wasn't feeling very well. Headache."
- Not a lie.
- Just not the whole truth.
( I felt it then—the slightest shift front of me. Rylan's jaw tightening. His fork scraping a little too sharply against the plate.)
My mother looked concerned. "You should've called me."
"I didn't want to worry you," I replied, eyes still glued to my plate. "Rylan was already there, so—"
[ The second his name left my mouth, the air changed.]
[ Silence fell—not loud, not obvious—but heavy. Dense.]
My mother blinked. "Rylan was there?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. He… helped me get home."
- Helped.
[ Such a harmless word for something that wasn't harmless at all.]
[ Rylan finally spoke, his voice calm, controlled. Too controlled.]
"She wasn't okay," he said. "So I brought her back."
[ That was it. No explanation. No emotion.]
- I swallowed.
My mother smiled, relieved. "That was kind of you."
{ Kind.}
[ I almost laughed at the word. Almost.]
( Instead, I nodded, my fingers curling in my lap beneath the table.)
"Yeah," I murmured. "He was."
- I didn't look at him.
- Didn't dare to.
( Because if I did, I knew I'd see it—the distance. The restraint. The tension sitting between us like an invisible wall.)
[ And somehow, that hurt more than the truth ever could.]
[ The silence was beginning to stretch—thin, uncomfortable.]
Then Rylan's father set his glass down.
The sound was small, but it carried.
"Alright," he said calmly, glancing around the table. "Since we're all here… I think this is the right time to tell you."
- Everyone looked up.
- Even Rylan.
"I've been meaning to do this for a while," he continued. "We're all busy. Too busy. Same house, same roof—but everyone living in different worlds."
[ My mother nodded slowly.]
"So," he said, a faint smile forming, "I've decided we're taking a break. Together."
I frowned slightly. "A break?"
"Yes," he said. "A trip."
[That caught everyone's attention.]
"An island," he added. "I have a villa there. We'll be staying for a few days."
[ The tension didn't disappear—but it shifted.]
- Like a storm pausing.
My mother's eyes lit up. "An island? That sounds lovely."
Rylan's father glanced at Rylan, then back at us. "No work. No excuses. Just family."
{ Family.}
- The word landed heavier than expected.
- I felt it in my chest.
Rylan leaned back in his chair, expression unreadable. "When?"
"This week," his father replied easily. "I've already arranged everything."
I blinked. "This week?"
"Yes," he said. "You're all coming."
[ There was no room for argument in his tone.]
[ I looked down at my plate again, my thoughts spinning.]
- An island.
- A villa.
- All of us—together.
- It felt like a test.
Rylan's father leaned back in his chair, completely at ease.
"And don't worry," he added, looking directly at me and then at Rylan. "I've already spoken to the director of your university."
My head snapped up. "You—what?"
He smiled, proud. "He's a good friend of mine. He agreed. Both of you can take a week off."
- A week.
[ I glanced at Rylan instinctively, then quickly looked away.]
"So," his father continued lightly, "no stress about classes."
I hesitated for a second before asking, "And… what about Noah?"
My mother's smile softened instantly.
"Don't worry, sweetie," she said. "I talked to her school principal too. She said it's fine—Noah does well in her studies. So, she can take break. "
[ She leaned closer, lowering her voice playfully.]
"But don't tell her yet, okay? I want to surprise her tonight."
I nodded, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Okay."
[ For a moment, it almost felt… normal.]
Then I asked, "So when are we going?"
[ Rylan's father's smile widened, excitement flickering in his eyes.]
"Day after tomorrow."
[ The words settled into the room.]
- An island.
- A villa.
- A whole week.
( I looked down at my plate again, my appetite suddenly gone.)
- Because somehow, this trip felt less like a holiday—
- And more like everything we'd been avoiding was about to surface.