Naomi lay quietly on her bed, the soft hum of her phone the only sound in the room. She had been playing a puzzle ga for what felt like hours now, the gentle tapping of her fingers offering her a welco distraction. The pieces clicked together in a satisfying rhythm, as if each one fitting perfectly was a small victory against the chaos in her mind.
She had always been good at puzzles. Maybe it was the sense of control, the simplicity of it, that appealed to her. Life was rarely so clear-cut, rarely so easy to piece together. At least with this ga, she could find solace in the quiet certainty of order. If she couldn’t solve the puzzle of her thoughts, at least she could solve this one. For now, that was enough.
The cool, calming glow of her phone screen seed to wash over her as the puzzle neared completion, and her mind, for once, felt at peace. Naomi hadn’t realized how much she needed this escape. As the last piece clicked into place, a sense of achievent swept over her. The weight of unanswered questions, of thoughts she couldn’t voice, faded into the background for just a mont. She closed her eyes for a brief second, basking in the relief of the quiet stillness.
But the calm didn’t last long.
Unbeknownst to her, the door to her room creaked open, the soft sound barely cutting through the silence of the room. Zylan entered quietly, as he always did. His tall fra lood in the doorway, and his gaze imdiately fell on Naomi, who was completely engrossed in her phone. The faint light from the screen illuminated her face, casting soft shadows that made her look distant, almost ethereal. She was so focused, so absorbed in the ga, that she didn’t even notice him standing there.
Curiosity stirred within him. He had never seen Naomi so absorbed in anything before. It was like she was in a world of her own, her attention captured by sothing so trivial, yet so important to her in that mont. Slowly, he moved toward the bed, taking a seat beside her. Naomi, sensing his presence, shifted slightly but didn’t look up. She continued tapping away at her phone, her expression unreadable.
Zylan leaned in a little closer, his eyes studying her closely. What could have caught her attention so completely? He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Why had she retreated into herself like this? Was it him? Sothing else? He was frustrated by the distance between them, the silence that seed to grow with every passing seconds
Without a word, he reached out, his fingers lightly covering her eyes, hoping to tease her into breaking her focus. Naomi didn’t flinch. Her eyes remained fixed on the screen, her fingers still moving in a rhythmic pattern as she solved the puzzle, completely oblivious to his touch. A faint frown crossed her face, but it wasn’t directed at him—it was the focused frown of soone intent on finishing a task.
For a long mont, Zylan sat there, his hand still resting over her eyes. The tension in his chest tightened, and sothing inside him stirred—sothing he couldn’t na. He hated seeing her like this, so distant, so closed off.
Finally, Naomi switched the phone off, the soft glow vanishing as the screen darkened. She placed it on the bed beside her and sat up, her movents slow and deliberate, as if she were unsure whether to acknowledge him or not. When her gaze finally t his, her eyes were unreadable, distant.
"Would you like to say sothing to ?" she asked, her voice softer than usual. There was a trace of sothing in her tone—a coolness, an emotional distance that didn’t quite match the warmth he was used to.
Zylan blinked, surprised by the change in her deanor. This wasn’t the Naomi he knew. The warmth, the openness he had grown so accustod to, was missing. Her tone was calm, but it carried an unfamiliar chill that sent a small jolt through him. What had happened? Why did she seem so distant all of a sudden?
"Can’t I just co to see my wife?" he asked, his voice uncertain, his words almost feeling like an apology. He didn’t know how to fix the space that had grown between them, but he was desperate to try.
Naomi didn’t respond imdiately. She looked at him, her gaze almost as distant as her tone. What was she expecting from him? What had changed? The questions circled in her mind, and she felt that familiar frustration rise in her chest. She gave a small sigh, closing her eyes for a mont before picking up her phone again, resuming her ga without a word.
Zylan’s hand reached out, and before she could react, he gently took the phone from her grasp. Her fingers brushed his for a brief mont, but she didn’t resist. Her eyes didn’t even flicker in his direction as she continued to stare at him with a cold, unreadable expression.
"Why are you so focused on that?" Zylan asked, his voice low, a hint of frustration creeping into his words. He was trying to keep his emotions in check, but the distance between them was starting to crack his composure. He needed to understand, to know what was going on with her.
Naomi t his eyes for the first ti in what felt like hours. Her expression was still unreadable, but there was a flicker of sothing in her gaze—sothing sharp, sothing closed off. "Give it back," she said, her voice calm but firm, as though the conversation had already ended.
Zylan paused, montarily stunned by the sudden firmness in her words. It wasn’t like her to be so direct, so assertive. He had heard her express annoyance before, but this was different. There was a coldness in her tone, a finality that unsettled him. It was like she had put up a wall he couldn’t scale.
He held her gaze for a mont, his mind racing. Should he push her to talk? To explain what was happening? Or should he respect her space, even if it felt like an ocean between them?
He let out a small sigh, slowly letting go of her phone, placing it back on the bed beside her. His hand lingered for a mont, unsure of whether he should say more, but the words didn’t co. He could feel her pulling away, and that scared him more than he cared to admit.
"Eaglet, what’s going on?" he asked softly, his voice gentle but filled with concern. He needed to know, but part of him was afraid of the answer.
Naomi glanced at him, her lips curling into a faint, almost bitter smile. It was small, barely perceptible, but it hit Zylan like a punch to the gut. "Why should I tell you?" she replied quietly, her voice tinged with sothing he couldn’t quite place—was it pain? Or sothing else?
Zylan frowned, his brow furrowing in frustration. He didn’t understand. "What do you an? I can help you, Eaglet. Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out together." He wanted to reach for her, to close the distance between them, but sothing held him back. She didn’t seem ready, and he didn’t want to push her further away.
She shook her head slowly, her eyes closing for a brief mont as if she were gathering the strength to speak. "No, you won’t," she said, her voice colder than before. "It’s better if you don’t know." The finality in her words struck him like a blow, leaving him speechless.
Zylan’s heart ached at the thought that Naomi might feel so distant from him. He reached out, his hand gently taking hers, his touch warm and reassuring. "Please, Naomi. Whatever it is, we can face it together. Just tell ." His voice was softer now, filled with the desperation of soone who was about to lose everything they cared about.
Naomi looked at him, her expression softening just a little, but only for a brief mont. Then it was gone, replaced by the sa cool detachnt that had defined her behavior all evening. "Even if I tell you, it’ll just make things worse," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "You’ll only make it harder."
Zylan’s eyes searched hers, his gaze intense but tender. He was willing to do anything to help her, to fix whatever was broken between them. "I promise, Naomi. Whatever it is, I won’t make it worse. I’ll make it better. Please, trust ."
For a mont, Naomi’s eyes softened, but the uncertainty in them was unmistakable. She studied him quietly, as though weighing his words. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she gave a small nod. "Promise?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I promise," Zylan replied, his voice steady and filled with determination. He would do whatever it took to break down the walls she had begin to build around herself.
In fact, Zylan had no idea why he was acting this way, but he didn’t care. If being vulnerable, if acting like a damn child, was what it took to get through to Naomi, then he would do it. He could not stand seeing her like this—distant, cold, unreachable. His heart ached at the thought of losing her, and he would do anything to make things right.
Naomi looked away, her thoughts swirling in silence. She stood up slowly, her movents stiff, as if the weight of her emotions had beco too much to bear. She walked toward the library area without looking back at him.
"Where are you going?" Zylan asked, his voice filled with concern, but also with a growing sense of frustration. Why wouldn’t she just talk to him?
Naomi didn’t turn around. "If you won’t give my phone, I’ll just read," she said, her tone flat but not unkind. It was as if she had already decided that retreating into herself was the only way to cope.
Zylan felt a flicker of frustration, not just with her refusal to open up, but with the book—the black book. He knew that book all too well, and the thought of her turning to it, rather than trusting him, made his chest tighten.
Before she could leave the room, Zylan moved quickly, positioning himself in front of her. He reached for the book she had been heading for and grasped it firmly.
"Don’t read it," he said, his voice low and insistent, but there was a tenderness in his eyes.
Naomi’s gaze t his, her expression unreadable, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she simply let out a small sigh, her shoulders sagging slightly.
"You can read anything else, but not this book," Zylan added, his voice softer now. His fingers tightened around the cover as if to reinforce his words. "Tell anything, but don’t..." He paused, his breath hitching slightly.
Naomi opened her mouth, and he could see the hesitation in her eyes. "Fine..." she murmured, her voice barely audible.
"Who is Noelle?" she asked.
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