“What’s the difference.”
She hesitated.
That hesitation mattered.
Then:
“Empty silence feels like nothing is happening,” she said. “This doesn’t feel like nothing.”
That made the room shift again.
Because she had just named it.
Without meaning to.
Rowan
He was looking at me now.
Fully thistime.
No deflection.
No turning away.
Just focus.
That kind of attention felt different in this room.
He wasn’t using it like before.
He was just… there.
Present in a way that made it harder to pretend nothing was happening.
“You’re overthinking again,” I said quietly.
“I’m not.”
“Yes you are.”
He didn’t deny it this time.
That was new.
Instead:
“Maybe I’m just not ignoring it like you are.”
That hit something I didn’t expect.
Not emotional.
Just accurate.
I frowned slightly.
“I’m not ignoring anything.”
