The room stayed quiet for a long moment after his laugh faded, the late afternoon light slanting lazily across the floor and turning the dust in the air gold. I stood there longer than necessary, fingertips still resting against the mirror, listening to the steady beat of my heart slowly settle now that his voice had returned.
It was ridiculous how quickly the tension left my body.
Like I had been holding my breath for weeks without realizing it.
I dropped my hand and moved toward the window, pushing it open just enough to let the cool air slip inside. The gardens below were calm, trimmed hedges and stone paths undisturbed, guards walking their usual routes. Everything looked normal.
Too normal.
My gaze softened.
Then my expression sharpened.
Seriously.
Why did you really go offline?
There was a pause.
Not the teasing kind.
Not the lazy, exaggerated silence he used when pretending to ignore me.
This one felt… measured.
[Oh?]
You heard me.
