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━─────── SILENCE HUNG BETWEEN THE TWO OF YOU, thick and suffocating, broken only by the faint hum of distant university noise──the muffled chatter of students, the soft clink of metal from a nearby construction site, all drifting up from the ground below. The world felt distant here on the rooftop, as if the chaos of everything else had been silenced by the space you shared.
Without a word, you reached into your pocket, fingers brushing the soft fabric of a handkerchief before pulling it free. Your movements were slow, deliberate──careful not to intrude on the fragile moment between you. You extended the cloth toward him. He blinked, startled, eyes still clouded with a mix of confusion and disbelief. For a moment, he hesitated, his gaze flickering between your outstretched hand and the ground, but he finally took the handkerchief with a quiet sigh, his fingers trembling slightly as he grasped the fabric, the edges soft against his skin.
He met your gaze briefly, but it was only for a second──long enough for you to catch the subtle flicker of vulnerability in his eyes. You pointed to your own eyes, offering him a small, reassuring smile, and watched as his confusion deepened. A flicker of realization passed over his face, and suddenly, the air between you seemed to shift. His body stiffened, and with a sharp intake of breath, he hurriedly turned away, his hands trembling as he brought the handkerchief to his face, the fabric brushing against the tear-streaked skin.
You simply watched, your smile gentle, and said nothing. You didn't want to break the delicate silence that had enveloped you both. It was a silence that wasn't born of awkwardness, but understanding, a quiet space where neither of you needed to speak to communicate everything. Still, there was a careful, cautious part of you that wanted to avoid making him feel embarrassed. People didn't often like being seen in moments of weakness, and you could sense the rawness of his emotions──fragile, like a glass on the verge of shattering.
Minutes passed in the quiet, punctuated only by the soft, unsteady rhythm of his breathing, which gradually slowed, though there was still a faint tremor in his chest. The man's eyes remained cast downward, focused on the cracked pavement beneath his feet as if he were searching for something──anything──that could help him put his thoughts into words. His fingers, still clutching the handkerchief, twisted slightly, the fabric pulling and stretching as he fought to compose himself.
Finally, his voice broke the stillness, quiet and strained, like a thread pulled too tight. "Why... why did you stop me?" The question seemed to hang in the air between you, heavy and fragile, and it was the way he asked it──so quiet, so vulnerable──that made your chest tighten. It was a voice that carried the weight of unspoken things, raw and aching, the kind of sound that felt like it belonged to someone who had long forgotten how to ask for help.
He lifted his gaze slowly, and for the first time, his eyes didn't look through you──they looked at you, soft yet searching, as if he was trying to understand something in the way you held yourself. It was then that you realized that despite his disheveled state, despite the mess of emotions that clung to him, he was seeing you for the first time. Unwavering, standing there as he unraveled.
The question caught you off guard. Your brow furrowed instinctively as you opened your mouth, but no words came. There was only a long pause before you spoke, and when you did, your voice was steady but laced with confusion, your words floating into the air like leaves caught in a breeze. "What kind of question is that?"
He blinked at you, confusion flickering across his face. Before he could say anything else, you acted without hesitation. You reached up, fingers swift, and flicked him lightly on the forehead. The sharp tap of your fingers echoed between you, and his eyes widened, blinking at you in surprise. He was taken aback──his posture stiffening, his expression momentarily caught between shock and uncertainty.
You smiled softly, a gentle thing, but firm. "Would you rather I stood at the side and watched you die?" Your voice was quiet but serious, the words simple yet carrying an unspoken weight──one that only someone who truly understood the meaning of care would carry.
His gaze wavered, a flicker of something—surprise, perhaps even shame──flashing behind his eyes. His head dipped, not quite meeting yours, and a faint, pained laugh escaped him. It was brittle, breaking at the edges, like fragile glass that might shatter with the wrong touch. "No... I guess not," he muttered, his voice laced with self-mockery, the humor hollow, as if it were the only way he knew to cope.
His lips quirked, a faint curve that didn't quite reach his eyes. "But... you."
His words trailed off, thick with uncertainty. He turned away from you, his shoulders slumping just a little, as if the weight of his unspoken thoughts was pressing him down. "...You didn't have to care about someone like me."
The words dropped between you like stones, heavy with a despair you couldn't ignore. They hit you harder than you expected, each syllable thick with self-doubt and hopelessness. There was an ache in your chest, a tightness that made you want to argue with him, to tell him that he was wrong──that no one should ever feel like their life wasn't worth caring about. But you didn't speak, not yet.
Something in his expression held you back. The deep, weary exhaustion that radiated off him was enough to make you pause, as though the weight he carried had already drained him of every ounce of fight.
─────── · ·End of Chapter 03· · ─────── ▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀ Follow for more stories and update announcements✧˖°.
