The silence between them was suffocating.
Jai could hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears, a relentless drumbeat that seemed to echo through the entire room.
"Why… why can't I…"
Jai swallowed hard, his throat dry. His fingers twitched at his sides, unsure whether to reach out or pull away.
Shao stood rigid, his back turned, shoulders tense beneath the thin fabric of his shirt.
The dim lamplight cast long shadows across the room, painting Shao's silhouette in sharp, fractured lines.
"W-What is wrong with you, Shao?" Jai's voice was barely above a whisper, laced with confusion and something else—something raw and vulnerable. "Why are you acting this way? Please… talk to me."
For a moment, nothing.
Then—
Shao moved.
It was so fast Jai didn't have time to react.
One second, Shao was standing there, a statue carved from tension and restraint.
