The silence was suffocating.
Kael had been trying to keep his mind occupied all day, but it wasn't working. Alea had gone off the grid, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. He knew better than to let himself get emotionally tangled in this, but somehow, he couldn't stop thinking about her.
He sat on the hood of his car, staring at the street in front of him. The city was calm, almost too calm, and the night air was thick with unspoken tension.
Where the hell are you, Alea? he thought for the hundredth time.
She hadn't responded to any of his messages or calls either. He could almost hear the sound of her voice from that night, when everything fell apart. Maybe it's better if you stay away from both of us, Kael...
He hated that thought. He hated the idea that she might be avoiding him. After everything they'd been through, after all the fights and all the small moments that had made things feel... real, he wasn't ready to just let her go. But she wasn't making it easy.
His fingers drummed against the hood of his car, the rhythm matching the pulse of his racing thoughts.
It's not about Rayzen, he told himself. It never was. But the nagging feeling wouldn't go away. There was more to this—more than just a fight or rivalry. Something about Alea's disappearance was eating at him, something deeper. And it made him sick to his stomach.
Kael stood up suddenly, his feet carrying him forward without thinking. He didn't know where he was going, only that he had to do something. The thought of waiting around, hoping she'd show up on her own, wasn't an option anymore.
He found himself walking to the places he thought might hold the answers. The diner. The park. The old alleyways. Places where Alea went when she needed space, when she needed to be alone.
But tonight, they were all empty.
Frustration built up inside him, his mind racing as the night stretched on. Why won't she just show up?
It wasn't until he stood still, breathing in the quiet air, that he realized the truth.
This wasn't about finding her. It was about facing everything they'd avoided saying, everything they'd left unsaid.
And the longer she stayed away, the heavier the silence became.