CHAPTER 26: Things Left Unsaid
The silence between them stretched long and heavy, filling the room with a weight neither dared to break.
Ava's fingers trembled, twisting the hem of her shirt as she searched Eli's face for a sign—anything—of what he was really feeling. But his eyes were shadowed, distant, like he was carrying a secret too heavy to share.
"I thought... after everything, maybe we could just talk," she whispered, voice fragile. "Just be honest. No walls."
Eli looked away, jaw tight. "There are things I can't say, Ava. Things I'm scared to even think about."
Her heart clenched. "You don't have to carry it alone."
He finally met her gaze, eyes glistening with a pain she recognized—a pain she felt too. "It's not that simple."
The room felt smaller, the space between them growing despite their closeness.
"Maybe some things are better left unsaid," he said quietly, voice cracking just enough to reveal the truth behind his words.
Ava's breath hitched. "But what if those unsaid things are the ones tearing us apart?"
For a long moment, neither spoke. Then Eli reached out, his hand brushing hers—a small gesture, but charged with everything they were too afraid to say aloud.
"We're both broken," he said. "Maybe the only way forward is to face the silence together."
She nodded, tears spilling over, but a fragile hope kindling inside her.
Some things might be left unsaid—for now.
But that didn't mean they had to be left alone.