Aira didn't notice the shift at first.
It wasn't loud.
It wasn't obvious.
It came disguised as concern.
"You've changed," someone said in the hallway.
"Ever since Reyhan."
The words weren't sharp.
They were worse.
Soft.
Judging.
Aira smiled politely and kept walking, but the thought followed her all day.
Have I?
At lunch, Reyhan noticed she barely touched her food.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded automatically.
Then sighed.
"People think I've gotten… softer," she said.
Reyhan raised an eyebrow. "Is that a crime now?"
"They say it like it is," Aira replied.
"Like being calm means I've lost something."
Reyhan leaned back, expression thoughtful.
"They said the same about me," he said quietly.
"Every time I stopped reacting."
Aira looked at him. "And?"
"And I believed it for a long time," he admitted.
"That being careful meant being weak."
She frowned. "You're not weak."
"I know that now," he said.
"But it took time."
They walked after lunch, side by side.
"You don't argue as much anymore," Reyhan added.
"You listen. You choose your words."
Aira smiled faintly. "Apparently that's suspicious."
Reyhan chuckled.
"People are uncomfortable when chaos settles."
She stopped walking.
"What if they're right?" she asked quietly.
"What if I'm just… quieter because I'm avoiding conflict?"
Reyhan turned to face her fully.
"That's not what I see," he said.
"I see someone who doesn't fight every battle because she knows her worth."
Aira's chest tightened.
"You don't think I've changed for the worse?"
He shook his head.
"I think you've changed because you're safe enough to."
That mattered.
A lot.
They reached the gate.
Aira hesitated, then said softly,
"I don't want to be the strong girl who never needs anything."
Reyhan smiled gently.
"And I don't want to be the reckless guy who never slows down."
They stood there for a moment.
Balanced.
"I like this version of you," Reyhan added.
"And not because it's quiet."
Aira met his eyes.
"But because it's honest."
She nodded slowly.
"Then I'm okay with changing."
They parted ways.
No promises.
No declarations.
Just mutual understanding.
And for the first time, safety didn't feel like surrender.
It felt like strength.
RULE #46: Don't confuse safety with weakness.
Because choosing calm doesn't mean you lost your edge—
it means you learned where to use it.