The silence didn't leave after he said it.
It stayed.
Heavy. Suffocating.
Lingering in the space between them like something fragile had just shattered—and neither of them knew how to pick up the pieces.
Ethan felt it immediately.
The shift.
The way the air changed.
The way Lia…went quiet.
Not the comfortable quiet he had grown used to.
Not the soft silence that wrapped around them like safety.
No.
This one was different.
This one hurt.
---
"She's no one."
The words echoed in his head.
Again.
And again.
And again.
He hadn't meant it like that.
He hadn't meant anything by it.
He just—
He didn't want anyone looking at her.
Didn't want anyone knowing about her.
Didn't want anyone stepping into something that felt…his.
But that's not what he said.
What he said…
Was worse.
---
"I was just asking," his bandmate shrugged, clearly sensing the tension but not fully understanding it. "No need to get all defensive."
Ethan's jaw tightened. "Leave."
The tone was enough.
Cold. Final. Dangerous.
The guy raised his hands slightly. "Alright, alright. I'm going."
But before he turned away, his eyes flicked to Lia one last time—curious, lingering.
Ethan noticed.
And it made something dark rise in his chest.
"Now," he added.
The door shut behind him a second later.
Silence.
Again.
But this time…
It was just the two of them.
And the damage he had done.
---
Ethan turned slowly.
Lia hadn't moved.
She was still sitting on the step, her notebook resting on her lap, her fingers gripping it just a little tighter than usual.
Her head was slightly lowered.
Not hiding.
Not crying.
Just…still.
And somehow, that was worse.
"Lia—"
"I should go."
Her voice was soft. Calm.
Too calm.
Ethan frowned. "What?"
"I think it's getting late," she said, already standing up.
"No, wait—"
"I'll see you…another time."
Another time.
Not tomorrow.
Not here.
Just…sometime.
Maybe.
And suddenly, Ethan hated that word again.
---
"Don't do that," he said quickly.
Lia paused.
But she didn't turn around.
"Do what?"
"Leave like that."
She let out a small breath. "How else am I supposed to leave?"
Ethan ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "I didn't mean what I said."
That made her turn.
Slowly.
Her eyes met his.
And for the first time since he met her…
They didn't feel warm.
"I know," she said softly.
The answer caught him off guard.
"You…do?"
She nodded. "You just said it because someone else was there."
Ethan swallowed. "…yeah."
"And you didn't want them to know about me."
"…yeah."
Another pause.
Then she smiled.
Small.
But it didn't reach her eyes.
"It's okay."
It wasn't.
He could feel it.
---
"No, it's not," he said, stepping closer.
She didn't move back.
But she didn't move closer either.
"You're not 'no one,'" he added, his voice quieter now.
Lia looked at him for a moment.
Like she was searching for something.
Maybe sincerity.
Maybe truth.
Maybe reassurance.
"I didn't say I was," she replied gently.
The words were soft.
But they hit harder than anything else.
Because she wasn't fighting him.
She wasn't upset.
She wasn't angry.
She had just…
Accepted it.
And that?
That scared him.
---
"I just didn't think you saw me that way," she continued quietly.
Ethan's chest tightened. "I don't."
She tilted her head slightly. "Then why did you say it?"
He opened his mouth—
Then stopped.
Because he didn't have a good answer.
Not one that made sense.
Not one that wouldn't make things worse.
"I just—" he started, frustrated.
But the words wouldn't come.
Because how was he supposed to explain something he didn't even understand himself?
That he didn't want anyone else to know about her?
That he didn't want anyone else to look at her?
That he didn't want to share this—whatever this was—with the world?
It sounded selfish.
Possessive.
Wrong.
So he said nothing.
And that silence…
Said everything.
---
Lia nodded slowly.
"I think I get it," she said.
Ethan frowned. "Get what?"
She adjusted her grip on her notebook, holding it close to her chest.
"This place… it's just somewhere you come to escape," she said softly. "And I'm just… part of that."
"That's not—"
"It's okay," she interrupted gently.
Again with those words.
It's okay.
But it didn't feel okay.
Not at all.
---
"You don't have to explain," she added. "I didn't expect anything."
Ethan stared at her.
Because that…
That hurt more than if she had yelled at him.
"You didn't expect anything?" he repeated.
She shook her head slightly. "No."
Her voice didn't break.
But something inside him did.
---
"I should go," she said again, turning toward the stairs.
This time…
He didn't stop her immediately.
Not because he didn't want to.
But because he didn't know how.
Didn't know what to say that wouldn't make it worse.
Her footsteps were soft.
Quiet.
Fading.
Step by step.
Further away.
---
"Lia."
She stopped.
But didn't turn around.
Ethan's voice was lower now.
Uncertain.
"I didn't mean it."
A pause.
Then she nodded slightly.
"I know."
And then…
She left.
The door closed behind her.
And just like that—
The stairwell was empty again.
---
Ethan stood there for a long time.
Long after her footsteps disappeared.
Long after the silence settled back in.
Long after the space beside him felt…wrong.
He slowly sat down on the step.
The same one.
The same place.
But it didn't feel the same anymore.
Because she wasn't there.
And now…
He knew the truth.
This place was never the reason he came here.
It was her.
It had always been her.
And he had just pushed her away.
---
Ethan let out a quiet breath, running his hands over his face.
"Idiot," he muttered to himself.
Because for the first time since everything with Aria—
This wasn't about betrayal.
This wasn't about anger.
This wasn't about hate.
This was about something else.
Something softer.
Something real.
Something he didn't know how to handle.
And he had just…
Ruined it. 💔