What's Said in Silence

Vessel-XIII

It'd been nearly a week since the ritual. Take Me Back to Eden had been a hit with the crowd and the only regret I have was that Sera had been hidden behind a curtain during it. I had to wonder what her reaction was to it, it was written for her after all. Even though I hadn't outright told her that, I had hoped she knew anyways. I hoped it would break through her and consume her from the inside out. 

The sound of water running coming from the kitchen pulled me from my thoughts and a delicious smell wafted into my nose, making my stomach growl. I decided to join her in the kitchen while she finished up dinner. 

I took a seat at the bar like normal. She had been too focused on cleaning a pot that she hadn't noticed me. A few loose strands of her hair had fallen out of her ponytail, her eyebrows had knitted together in concentration, and suddenly I was a different type of hungry. She truly was a vision, one that had obviously not learned a lesson about those damned skirts. Or maybe she intentionally wanted to rile me up. 

Her phone vibrated on the counter next to her. She peaked a glance at it and froze. The only indication that time itself hadn't stopped was that the water was still running. Her hands, Her eyes, even her breathing had ceased all motion. I quietly shifted in my seat, trying to get a better look at what her phone said, but the damned stool squeaked underneath me. 

She snapped her head towards me with wide eyes. She seemed to be wrestling within herself to regain her composure and go back to cleaning the pot. Once she had finished and put it on the drying rack, she wiped her hands dry and walked over to the oven. She picked her phone up in the process and tucked it into the waistband of her skirt. 

Hiding something, little fox? 

She tried her best to look like she was fine, that nothing was out of sorts, but the tremble in her hands as she slipped them into the oven mitts told me differently. Whatever it was, it had her rattled. I waged an internal war over whether or not I should ask her about it. Something told me that she wouldn't show me even if I did. I decided to act like I hadn't noticed it at all as she forked a chicken breast onto a plate with some green beans and placed it in front of me. 

I had to hand it to her, she caught on quickly to the cooking aspect. The first few dishes she had made were okay but they weren't exactly going to land her a position at a five star restaurant. Now, my mouth waters at the thought of her cooking. 

She made herself a plate and took a seat opposite of me. We ate in our usual silence with only the sounds of scraping silverware against the plates. I kept my head forward as I trained my eyes on her so that I could examine her without her knowledge. A skill that I had gotten all too proficient at since she moved in. 

She chewed slowly and deliberately, as if she might choke on her food. Her eyes, beautiful and fiery as ever, were lost on a different plane. At this moment she didn't exist here, she existed solely in the hell her mind had created. A faint buzz could be heard and her body tensed again, but she didn't reach for her phone. 

Thinking back to all the times I had sent her a text and received nothing more than a thumbs up emoji, I had the same question now as I did then. Only this time, it came with more suspicion than I would have liked. There was a specific reason she didn't speak and it was definitely more than a medical condition. 

Obviously, I wasn't going to get any answers from her. I could ask Jessie about it, if he even knows. He'd taken off back to America last week, so I'd have to wait until he got back. He traveled more than I did sometimes, but I guess it came with the territory of having multiple licences to practice law practically anywhere. He was also damned good at his job and had gotten me out of a snag or two in the past, which is why I liked to keep him around.  

I was growing more desperate to know everything about her and what made her tick. She cloaked herself in silence like it was her armor. I found myself wanting to learn what every movement of her body language meant and why her smile seemed to be more elusive than any mythical being on this planet. Some things I could get answers from an outside source, but I'd much rather have her be the one to give them to me. I wanted the answers, but I needed her willingness more.

Show me what you are, Sera.