Iris's POV
The bus ride home was quiet.
Too quiet.
I sat beside Kaizer, staring out of the window while the buildings slowly passed by.
Usually, even when neither of us had anything important to say, there was always something.
A question.
A small complaint.
A random observation.
Sometimes even an argument over something completely meaningless.
Today, there was nothing.
Kaizer sat beside me, his gaze fixed somewhere beyond the window.
He hadn't spoken since we left the cemetery.
Neither had I.
I glanced at his hands.
They were resting loosely on his lap.
Earlier, his fist had been tightly clenched.
Now it looked almost lifeless.
I looked away.
I didn't know what to say.
There were some things that couldn't be fixed by words.
And perhaps this was one of them.
When the bus finally reached our stop, Kaizer stood first.
I followed.
We walked home together.
Neither of us spoke.
When we reached the house, Kaizer unlocked the door and stepped inside.
I entered after him.
The house felt strangely unfamiliar.
Maybe because the silence from the cemetery had followed us home.
Kaizer walked straight toward the living room.
He sat down on the sofa.
I remained near the doorway for a moment.
Then I quietly went into the kitchen.
I didn't know if he was hungry.
I didn't know if I was.
But eventually, I prepared something simple.
Neither of us said much while eating.
The sound of spoons against plates seemed unnecessarily loud.
Kaizer ate slowly.
He didn't complain about the food.
He didn't compliment it either.
He simply ate.
When we finished, I collected the plates.
He returned to the sofa.
I washed everything.
Then I stood there for a moment, my hands resting against the kitchen counter.
I looked toward the living room.
Kaizer hadn't moved.
He was staring at nothing.
Not the television.
Not his phone.
Not even the window.
Just...
nothing.
I dried my hands and walked toward him.
I stopped in front of the sofa.
He looked up.
His eyes met mine.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
"Kaizer..."
He looked at me.
I didn't know what to do.
So I did the only thing that felt right.
I slowly raised my arms.
Not completely.
Just enough.
An invitation.
Nothing more.
I didn't say come here.
I didn't tell him that everything would be okay.
I didn't even touch him.
I simply waited.
He looked at my arms.
Then at me.
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
He turned his head away.
For a few seconds, he remained completely still.
Then I heard it.
A small, broken breath.
"What Iris—?"
My heart tightened.
Kaizer leaned forward.
His arms slowly wrapped around my waist.
His head rested against my stomach.
I froze for only a second.
Then I lowered one hand onto his head.
His shoulders trembled.
And suddenly, the composure he'd been holding onto all day disappeared.
He cried.
Quietly at first.
Then his breathing became uneven.
I didn't know what to say.
So I didn't.
I simply ran my fingers through his hair.
Slowly.
Again.
And again.
He held onto me tighter.
"I didn't kill Mumma..."
His voice was barely audible.
I looked down at him.
"I know."
His breathing broke again.
"She left without me knowing..."
"I know."
"I didn't know..."
"I know, Kaizer."
He stayed like that for a while.
I continued running my fingers through his hair.
There was something strange about seeing him like this.
Kaizer always seemed so composed.
Even when something hurt him, he rarely showed it.
He would smile.
Change the subject.
Make some stupid remark.
Pretend everything was fine.
But right now...
He wasn't pretending.
And I didn't want him to.
"You shouldn't have to explain it to me," I whispered.
He didn't respond.
His arms remained around me.
I gently rested my other hand against his head.
"You don't have to prove anything to me."
His breathing slowly began to settle.
But he didn't let go.
Neither did I ask him to.
Eventually, his grip loosened.
His head became heavier.
I looked down.
His eyes were closed.
"Kaizer?"
No response.
I waited.
He had fallen asleep.
I smiled faintly.
"You're really troublesome..."
There was no answer.
I carefully sat down beside him.
His head slipped from where it had rested against me and landed against the back of the sofa.
I hesitated.
Then I gently moved a few strands of messy hair away from his forehead.
His face looked different when he was asleep.
Younger.
Almost like the little boy Rian had described.
The boy who had once followed a girl around everywhere.
The boy who had loved his mother.
The boy who had lost her.
I looked at him for a long moment.
Then I quietly whispered,
"You didn't do anything wrong."
He didn't hear me.
Or perhaps he did.
I didn't know.
I pulled a blanket over him.
For a moment, I thought about leaving.
But I didn't.
I remained seated beside him.
My fingers moved through his hair again, gently straightening the strands that had become messy.
"You know..."
I whispered, even though he was asleep.
"You are really bad at taking care of yourself."
A small smile appeared on my face.
"You always tell everyone else to rest."
I paused.
"And then you forget to do it yourself."
He remained asleep.
I looked toward the window.
The sky outside was dark.
A few stars were visible.
I remembered the balcony.
The night before.
His cold hand in mine.
The way he had told me about his mother's death anniversary.
The way he had thanked me for coming.
I looked back at him.
"I'll stay."
The words escaped before I could think about them.
I smiled faintly.
"I don't know how much I can help."
I gently brushed his hair away from his eyes again.
"But I'll stay."
I lowered my voice.
"So you don't have to carry everything alone."
He shifted slightly in his sleep.
I immediately stopped moving.
After a moment, he settled again.
I let out a quiet breath.
Then I leaned back against the sofa.
For once, I didn't think about the golden threads.
Or the strange journal.
Or the disappearances.
Or the things we still didn't understand.
Tonight, I just sat beside him.
And stayed.
Because sometimes...
maybe that was enough.