The silence didn't last forever.
It tried to.
But this group?
We don't stay quiet for long.
Jake was the first to force it.
"Okay but wait," he said suddenly, sitting up straight. "London means British accent. So when you come back you'll be like— hello mates."
Liam snorted. "That's Australian, not British."
"Same thing," Jake waved it off.
"It is NOT the same thing," Emma said, half-laughing.
Nena joined in, nudging Ethan lightly. "You better not come back acting different."
"I won't," Ethan said, a small smile forming.
Luca leaned forward. "Bring gifts. That's the important thing."
"Exactly," Jake added quickly. "Don't forget your people."
The table laughed.
Even Mr. Ronson smiled faintly.
Mrs. May shook her head. "You children…"
They were trying.
Everyone was trying.
Trying to make it feel normal again.
Trying to pretend nothing had just shifted.
Mark leaned closer to me slightly.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
I nodded.
"Yeah."
Lie.
He didn't believe me.
"Hey," he said softly. "It's not forever."
I swallowed.
"It's four years, Mark."
He paused.
"…Yeah."
That silence said everything.
Across the table, Ethan was watching.
I could feel it.
He opened his mouth slightly—like he wanted to say something.
Maybe to me.
Maybe to everyone.
"I mean—" he started, trying to sound lighter. "It's not like I'm disappearing. There's calls, messages—"
Jake cut in quickly. "Video calls! Don't come and be doing 'network is bad'."
"Yeah," Liam added. "We'll track you."
More laughter.
Forced.
But still there.
Ethan smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
He glanced at me again.
"…It won't change things that much," he said.
That one—
That one hit.
Because we both knew it would.
I looked down at my plate.
Suddenly, I wasn't hungry anymore.
Not even a little.
Mark noticed.
He gently nudged my arm under the table.
"You should eat."
"I'm fine," I whispered.
Another lie.
The noise around me continued—voices overlapping, small jokes, laughter trying to stay alive.
But it all felt distant.
Like I wasn't really there anymore.
Ethan tried again.
"Ayana—"
I stood up.
Too fast.
The chair made a soft scraping sound.
Everyone paused.
"I'm full," I said quickly.
I forced a small smile.
"I'm going to my room."
No one stopped me immediately.
Maybe they didn't know what to say.
Maybe they understood.
Mark looked up at me, concerned.
"Ayana—"
"I'm fine," I repeated.
I wasn't.
But I didn't wait.
I turned and walked away before anyone could say anything else.
Behind me, the table fell quiet again.
And this time—
No one knew how to fix it.
I didn't stop walking.
Not even when I heard the chair move behind me.
Not even when the footsteps followed.
I just kept going up the stairs, faster than I meant to.
Until—
"Ayana."
His voice.
I froze at the top step.
Slowly, I turned.
Ethan was there.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs like he didn't even think twice before following me.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
The house behind him was still noisy—laughter faintly coming from the dining room—but up here, it was just… quiet.
He walked up one step.
Then another.
Until we were close enough that I could feel it.
"Why did you leave like that?" he asked softly.
I looked away immediately.
"I said I'm full."
"That's not why."
Silence.
I hated that he always knew.
He sighed lightly, scratching the back of his neck like he didn't know how to say what he wanted to say.
Then he just said it.
"I like you, Ayana."
My heart stopped.
Not dramatically.
Not like in movies.
Just—
Stopped.
He continued quickly, like he was scared he'd lose courage.
"I don't know when it started exactly… but I do. I really like you."
I didn't move.
Didn't breathe properly.
He looked at me carefully.
"I'm not asking for anything big," he added softly. "I just… wanted you to know."
My throat felt tight.
I finally whispered, "Ethan…"
He gave a small, nervous smile.
"I know," he said gently. "You don't have to answer now."
A pause.
His voice softened even more.
"We still have time… right?"
That made something ache in my chest.
Time.
That word again.
I looked at him properly now.
Really looked.
And everything I had been holding in just… cracked a little.
"I'm not sure," I said honestly.
My voice came out quieter than I wanted.
"I don't know what I feel right now."
Ethan nodded slowly, like he understood more than I was saying.
"That's okay."
Another pause.
"I just… didn't want to leave without saying it."
My fingers tightened at my sides.
He gave a small awkward laugh. "That sounded cooler in my head, by the way."
That made me exhale a short laugh too.
Of course he'd say that.
The tension between us softened just a little.
But my chest still hurt.
He took a small step closer.
Not forcing.
Just there.
"I don't need an answer today," he said again. "Or tomorrow."
His eyes softened.
"I just want you to stay you… okay?"
That did it.
Something in me snapped gently.
I stepped forward and hit him lightly on the arm.
"Idiot."
He blinked. "Hey—"
And before he could finish—
I hugged him.
Fast.
Like I was afraid I'd lose the courage if I waited even a second.
He froze for half a second.
Then slowly, carefully, he wrapped his arms around me.
Not tight.
Just… warm.
Real.
We stayed like that.
Quiet.
No teasing.
No jokes.
Just the sound of the house far away and my breathing finally slowing down.
After a moment, I whispered—
"I'll think about it."
Ethan gave a small smile against my shoulder.
"That's enough for me."
And for the first time that night—
It didn't feel like everything was ending.
Just… pausing.
We came back to the dining table like nothing happened.
Like my heart wasn't still doing weird flips.
Like Ethan didn't just follow me upstairs and say something that made my brain short-circuit.
The house was loud again the moment we sat down.
Luca clapped his hands dramatically. "Mood recovery mission: START!"
Before I could even react, he stood up and did full-on aegyo.
"Don't be saaaad, Ayanaaa~ smileee~"
Jake choked on his drink immediately.
Liam stared. "I'm begging you to stop."
Emma laughed. "This is criminal behavior."
Even Nena was laughing behind her hand.
And somehow… I smiled.
"Okay okay, stop before I die," I said, shaking my head.
Luca sat back proudly. "Success. I fixed emotions."
Mark leaned back. "Somehow that's true."
I let out a small breath.
"I just want exams to be over already," I muttered. "I'm tired."
Mrs. May, who had been quietly looking around, tilted her head. "This isn't your house, right?"
Mr. Ronson looked up from his seat. "It is my house."
She smiled. "I mean—everyone living here together…"
He nodded simply. "They're family. So yes."
Mrs. May smiled softly. "It's beautiful."
Nena pointed down the hallway. "Everyone has their own room too."
Jake grinned. "Best upgrade of my life."
I smiled. "Mine's huge."
Luca nodded. "Rich people architecture hits different."
Liam muttered, "We are literally living in a luxury side quest."
The table laughed again.
Then suddenly—
Nena leaned forward like she had been waiting all day.
"Oh by the way."
Jake froze instantly. "Why do I feel targeted."
Nena smiled sweetly. "You confessed."
Silence.
Then—
Jake exploded. "BRO—WHY WOULD YOU SAY IT LIKE THAT?!"
Liam almost dropped his spoon. "JAKE?? YOU??"
Emma's eyes widened. "WHEN?!"
Jake rubbed his face. "It wasn't supposed to be announced like a public scandal—"
Nena tilted her head. "Well it happened."
She leaned back casually. "And yes, I'm his girlfriend now."
More silence.
Then Luca screamed, "OH MY GOD?! WE HAVE A COUPLE IN THE HOUSE?!"
Mark shook his head. "This place is turning into a romance reality show."
Jake pointed at Nena. "She accepted, by the way. So don't act like I forced anything."
Nena smiled. "I did."
Emma leaned forward. "That's actually kind of cute."
Liam nodded slowly. "Unexpected but… congrats."
Jake sat back, still red. "I was NOT ready for interrogation."
Nena patted his arm. "You'll survive."
I laughed a little. "This table is insane."
Then all eyes slowly shifted again.
Emma and Liam.
Emma blinked. "Oh no. Don't look at me."
Liam shrugged. "I didn't do anything."
Nena pointed. "Your turn."
Emma sighed. "He's still… giving me a chance."
Silence.
Jake stared. "That's it?"
Emma nodded. "That's it."
A beat.
I snorted.
"…That's really it?"
For half a second, everyone froze—
Then the whole table burst into laughter again.
Even Emma.
Even Liam.
Jake leaned back. "We're all emotionally unserious."
Luca nodded seriously. "Correct."
And somehow… between the chaos, the laughter, and Jake still recovering from embarrassment—
It didn't feel heavy anymore.
Just loud.
Warm.
Alive.