Page 157 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

He swallowed hard, voice trembling with embarrassment and self-reproach.

“I started hurting after the second lap. I pushed through when I shouldn’t have. I should’ve walked it instead. It’s stupid, I know. He’s just helping.”

Wren’s posture faltered.

Her shoulders dropped.

Her cheeks flushed a deep, mortified red.

She rocked back on her heels, suddenly looking very small for someone who’d marched over like a warrior ready for battle.

“Oh. Sorry. It’s just… you asked—”

Jay snapped his head toward her, eyes wide, silently begging her to stop talking.

She cleared her throat, flustered.

“Alright. You’re okay. Keep resting for now.” Her voice softened, trying to recover her composure. “We’ll go ahead and start the 200-metres. Um… join us when you’re ready.”

Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel and jogged back toward Jasmine, her stride stiff with awkwardness.

Rain watched her go, then turned back to Jay.

His voice was steady.

Quiet.

But there was no question in it.

“You asked her to keep me away from you.”

Jay’s eyes stayed glued to the ground.

He didn’t even try to look up.

“Yeah,” he whispered. “I thought it would be better for both of us. Just… for now.”

The words were soft.

But they sliced cleanly.

Rain felt the ache bloom in his chest, like a bruise spreading beneath the skin. His breath caught, his ribs tightening around the hurt. Jay’s aura pulsed with guilt, fear, longing, and a desperate attempt at self-preservation.

Rain felt every bit of it.

Every jagged edge.

Every tremor of regret.

And it didn’t make the pain any easier to bear.

“Ok, I understand.”

Rain said it calmly, evenly, but the sting in his heart didn’t understand any of this. His chest tightened, a slow, bruising ache blooming beside the extracted pain beneath his ribs, but he refused to let it show. He kept his expression neutral, steady, controlled.

“At least I’ve been able to give you some relief from your pain,” he continued, voice softening. “It’s slowly easing but it’ll be sore for some time. I’ll let go now, but you should stay still and take it easy for the rest of the day.”

He hesitated; a small pause, barely a breath, weighing whether he should say more.