Continued from Beneath the Silence 10 : Growing Closer ....?
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The next few days felt like a whirlwind for both Ethan and Hannah, but in entirely different ways. For Ethan, life had thrown him into another storm—a family emergency that demanded every ounce of his focus. He was used to handling crises on his own, compartmentalizing emotions and burying stress beneath layers of quiet determination. His days were spent juggling work, hospital visits, and phone calls that never seemed to end. Nights became a blur of exhaustion, his thoughts too clouded to even process what had happened between him and Hannah.
For Hannah, the distance between them was confusing and painful. Ethan’s abrupt departure after their kiss replayed in her mind on an endless loop, his tense voice and hurried explanation raising more questions than answers. She wanted to reach out, to ask if he was okay, but the silence on his end held her back.
Maybe he’s just busy, she told herself, though the reassurance felt hollow. Or maybe that kiss meant less to him than it did to me.
Hannah tried to focus on her work, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Ethan. The warmth of his touch, the way his lips had felt against hers—it had been real, hadn’t it? Yet now, all she felt was cold distance.
At the coffee shop, their usual meeting place, she found herself scanning the room, hoping to see him walk through the door. But each time, she left with a growing sense of disappointment.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Hannah sat alone at their usual park bench. The spot that had once felt so full of promise now felt empty. She clutched her phone, debating whether to call or text him, but every scenario she imagined ended with her feeling more foolish.
Her thoughts spiraled, each unanswered question feeding her insecurities. Why wouldn’t he tell me what’s going on? she wondered. Does he not trust me? Or am I just not that important to him?
Ethan, meanwhile, had barely touched his phone. The weight of his responsibilities consumed him, leaving little room for anything else. It wasn’t that he didn’t think of Hannah—he did, often—but he didn’t know how to bridge the gap between his chaotic reality and the quiet moments they’d shared.
One night, as he sat alone in his apartment, staring at the clock, he realized how long it had been since they last spoke. Guilt gnawed at him, but the thought of explaining everything felt overwhelming. He wasn’t used to sharing his burdens, and part of him feared that if he did, he might lose the fragile connection they had begun to build.
But the silence was becoming unbearable, for both of them.
Hannah sighed as she rose from the bench, her footsteps slow and heavy as she made her way home. Maybe I need to let this go, she thought, though the idea of losing what they’d started felt like another storm brewing in her chest.
And somewhere, under the same sky, Ethan sat with his head in his hands, wondering how to reach out without unraveling everything he’d kept tightly wound for so long.
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The next few days felt like a whirlwind for both Ethan and Hannah, but in entirely different ways. For Ethan, life had thrown him into another storm—a family emergency that demanded every ounce of his focus. He was used to handling crises on his own, compartmentalizing emotions and burying stress beneath layers of quiet determination. His days were spent juggling work, hospital visits, and phone calls that never seemed to end. Nights became a blur of exhaustion, his thoughts too clouded to even process what had happened between him and Hannah.
For Hannah, the distance between them was confusing and painful. Ethan’s abrupt departure after their kiss replayed in her mind on an endless loop, his tense voice and hurried explanation raising more questions than answers. She wanted to reach out, to ask if he was okay, but the silence on his end held her back.
Maybe he’s just busy, she told herself, though the reassurance felt hollow. Or maybe that kiss meant less to him than it did to me.
Hannah tried to focus on her work, but her thoughts kept drifting back to Ethan. The warmth of his touch, the way his lips had felt against hers—it had been real, hadn’t it? Yet now, all she felt was cold distance.
At the coffee shop, their usual meeting place, she found herself scanning the room, hoping to see him walk through the door. But each time, she left with a growing sense of disappointment.
One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, Hannah sat alone at their usual park bench. The spot that had once felt so full of promise now felt empty. She clutched her phone, debating whether to call or text him, but every scenario she imagined ended with her feeling more foolish.
Her thoughts spiraled, each unanswered question feeding her insecurities. Why wouldn’t he tell me what’s going on? she wondered. Does he not trust me? Or am I just not that important to him?
Ethan, meanwhile, had barely touched his phone. The weight of his responsibilities consumed him, leaving little room for anything else. It wasn’t that he didn’t think of Hannah—he did, often—but he didn’t know how to bridge the gap between his chaotic reality and the quiet moments they’d shared.
One night, as he sat alone in his apartment, staring at the clock, he realized how long it had been since they last spoke. Guilt gnawed at him, but the thought of explaining everything felt overwhelming. He wasn’t used to sharing his burdens, and part of him feared that if he did, he might lose the fragile connection they had begun to build.
But the silence was becoming unbearable, for both of them.
Hannah sighed as she rose from the bench, her footsteps slow and heavy as she made her way home. Maybe I need to let this go, she thought, though the idea of losing what they’d started felt like another storm brewing in her chest.
And somewhere, under the same sky, Ethan sat with his head in his hands, wondering how to reach out without unraveling everything he’d kept tightly wound for so long.
Link to the next chapter Beneath the Silence 12 : The Bridge of Hope
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Ty for the suggestion !
aww nycly penned x.... (sry I skipped 2 parts)
