Nathan went to Merlin and Victoria's apartment and Victoria actually let him inside…
He stood just inside the door, one hand still on the knob of Merlin's room.
The room was exactly as it had been when Nathan peeked in earlier.
Bed made.
Desk cleared.
Curtains half-drawn.
Merlin had been neat. Not because he liked order, but because it was efficient. Everything had its place. Even chaos.
Nathan stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
Quiet.
Too quiet.
He'd tried to stay in his own room. Really, he had.
But every corner of it felt too loud.
The silence in this room? It was the kind that curled around his bones and whispered. The kind that didn't lie.
Nathan dropped onto the bed.
It didn't bounce.
Of course it didn't. Merlin had stiff sheets. Tight corners. Like the mattress had been taught discipline.
He stared at the ceiling.
"You dumbass," he muttered.
The ceiling didn't reply.
The last thing Merlin had said to him was Hold the line.
