Continued from Beneath the Silence 11 : The Storm
*************
Hannah lay in bed, her mind drifting to her first real conversation with Ethan at the coffee shop. She could still hear his voice, quiet but steady, talking about how he was used to carrying his responsibilities alone.
"You’d be surprised," he had said when she’d pointed out how composed he seemed. "But I guess I’ve learned to carry it without letting it show."
At the time, she’d admired his strength. Now, she saw the burden hidden behind it. Ethan had always been on his own, shouldering the weight of life without letting anyone in. She realized he didn’t push people away out of indifference—it was simply the only way he knew how to survive.
Her thumb hovered over her phone screen as she typed and erased several messages. Finally, she wrote: “Hey, I hope everything’s okay. I’m here if you want to talk.”
She stared at the words, her heart pounding. Sending it felt like a risk, but it was a chance she was willing to take. With a deep breath, she pressed send.
---
Across town, Ethan sat in his dimly lit apartment, the room eerily silent save for the ticking of a clock. His phone buzzed on the table. He ignored it at first, his focus on the overwhelming storm of his thoughts. But when he glanced at the screen and saw Hannah’s name, he paused.
The message was simple, yet it reached a part of him he’d tried to ignore. “I’m here if you want to talk.”
He stared at it for a long time before replying: “Can we meet tomorrow at the coffee shop?”
---
*The Next Day*
Ethan arrived at the coffee shop earlier than usual, his nerves coiling tightly in his chest. When Hannah walked in, she spotted him immediately. Her expression was a mix of relief and uncertainty.
“Hey,” she greeted him, sitting down with her coffee.
“Hey,” Ethan replied, his tone neutral.
The tension hung between them, an invisible wall neither seemed ready to break. Hannah tried to make small talk, asking how his day was going, how work was. Ethan gave curt, one-word answers, his gaze darting toward the window, not meeting her eyes.
Hannah’s heart sank. She had hoped the message would open a door, but it felt like Ethan was shutting it again. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe he never would be.
“I should go,” she said softly, standing up. “You probably need some space.”
As she turned to leave, Ethan’s hand shot out, gently grabbing hers. “Wait.”
She froze, looking down at their joined hands before meeting his eyes. There was something in his gaze—conflict, vulnerability, a silent plea.
“Don’t go,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
She sat back down, her heart racing. “Ethan, I don’t want to push you. If you need time—”
“I don’t know how to do this,” he interrupted, his words tumbling out. “I don’t know how to let someone in. It’s… it’s not something I’ve ever done before.”
Hannah’s expression softened. “It’s okay. I don’t need you to have it all figured out. I just need you to try.”
Ethan exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “I want to. I’m just scared of what happens if I fail.”
Hannah reached across the table, placing her hand over his. “You won’t. And even if you stumble, I’ll still be here.”
Ethan stared at her, the walls he’d carefully built beginning to crumble. “I don’t deserve this,” he said quietly.
“That’s not for you to decide,” Hannah replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.
For the first time in days, Ethan felt a flicker of hope—a fragile but unmistakable sense that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have to navigate the storm alone.
They sat there for a while longer, the coffee shop bustling around them, but for Ethan and Hannah, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.
Link to the next chapter Beneath the Silence 13 : A new beginning
*************
Hannah lay in bed, her mind drifting to her first real conversation with Ethan at the coffee shop. She could still hear his voice, quiet but steady, talking about how he was used to carrying his responsibilities alone.
"You’d be surprised," he had said when she’d pointed out how composed he seemed. "But I guess I’ve learned to carry it without letting it show."
At the time, she’d admired his strength. Now, she saw the burden hidden behind it. Ethan had always been on his own, shouldering the weight of life without letting anyone in. She realized he didn’t push people away out of indifference—it was simply the only way he knew how to survive.
Her thumb hovered over her phone screen as she typed and erased several messages. Finally, she wrote: “Hey, I hope everything’s okay. I’m here if you want to talk.”
She stared at the words, her heart pounding. Sending it felt like a risk, but it was a chance she was willing to take. With a deep breath, she pressed send.
---
Across town, Ethan sat in his dimly lit apartment, the room eerily silent save for the ticking of a clock. His phone buzzed on the table. He ignored it at first, his focus on the overwhelming storm of his thoughts. But when he glanced at the screen and saw Hannah’s name, he paused.
The message was simple, yet it reached a part of him he’d tried to ignore. “I’m here if you want to talk.”
He stared at it for a long time before replying: “Can we meet tomorrow at the coffee shop?”
---
*The Next Day*
Ethan arrived at the coffee shop earlier than usual, his nerves coiling tightly in his chest. When Hannah walked in, she spotted him immediately. Her expression was a mix of relief and uncertainty.
“Hey,” she greeted him, sitting down with her coffee.
“Hey,” Ethan replied, his tone neutral.
The tension hung between them, an invisible wall neither seemed ready to break. Hannah tried to make small talk, asking how his day was going, how work was. Ethan gave curt, one-word answers, his gaze darting toward the window, not meeting her eyes.
Hannah’s heart sank. She had hoped the message would open a door, but it felt like Ethan was shutting it again. Maybe he wasn’t ready. Maybe he never would be.
“I should go,” she said softly, standing up. “You probably need some space.”
As she turned to leave, Ethan’s hand shot out, gently grabbing hers. “Wait.”
She froze, looking down at their joined hands before meeting his eyes. There was something in his gaze—conflict, vulnerability, a silent plea.
“Don’t go,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
She sat back down, her heart racing. “Ethan, I don’t want to push you. If you need time—”
“I don’t know how to do this,” he interrupted, his words tumbling out. “I don’t know how to let someone in. It’s… it’s not something I’ve ever done before.”
Hannah’s expression softened. “It’s okay. I don’t need you to have it all figured out. I just need you to try.”
Ethan exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. “I want to. I’m just scared of what happens if I fail.”
Hannah reached across the table, placing her hand over his. “You won’t. And even if you stumble, I’ll still be here.”
Ethan stared at her, the walls he’d carefully built beginning to crumble. “I don’t deserve this,” he said quietly.
“That’s not for you to decide,” Hannah replied, a small smile tugging at her lips.
For the first time in days, Ethan felt a flicker of hope—a fragile but unmistakable sense that maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have to navigate the storm alone.
They sat there for a while longer, the coffee shop bustling around them, but for Ethan and Hannah, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.
Link to the next chapter Beneath the Silence 13 : A new beginning
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