Unfading Shadows [2]

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Enjoy... and don't forget to share your thoughts and comments ~!

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"Won't lose you again..."

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Back on the beach, the golden rays of the sun glistened on the calm waves which lazily rolled onto the shore as Miray and Ren sat side by side, enveloped in a peaceful silence. The sun hung high in the cloudless sky, casting a brilliant radiance over the tranquil beach.

The serene surroundings had a calming effect on Miray, who had visibly relaxed since her outburst.

With the atmosphere of tranquility surrounding them, Ren couldn't hold back his thoughts any longer. He felt a strong urge to share something important with Miray, even if he couldn't quite explain why. 

"Rayan cares," Ren suddenly confessed.

Miray turned her attention towards Ren, her brow furrowing in confusion. She absorbed his words in silence for a moment before she finally inquired, her voice tinged with confusion, "How? How can he care when he hardly speaks to me? Whenever I'm around, he ignores me and doesn't even look me in the eye."

Ren took a moment before replying, "He may act like he doesn't care, but he does. He cares about you a whole lot, but he's just bad at showing it," he explained, shaking his head at Rayan's stupidity. "Actually, you might be the only person he genuinely cares about." he suddenly added, thinking how Rayan always seemed to hold an emotional distance from everyone else. 

No matter how much Kaiden, Noah, and the others tried to engage him in conversation, Rayan's demeanor remained stoic, as if he had no interest in connecting with anyone. It often felt like he preferred solitude, and his lack of emotion made it seem as though he were absent even when physically present.

But when Miray entered the scene, Rayan's emotional walls seemed to crumble. In her presence, he displayed emotions, and for those moments, he sounded more human.

Perhaps that's why Ren found an unexpected connection with Rayan over time. It seemed that both of them shared a common struggle - an emotional distance from others. While Ren's relationship with Miray had provided some healing, and the presence of his big brother and father had been a source of comfort, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt and responsibility when he looked at Rayan.

Deep down, Ren knew he bore no responsibility for Rayan's emotional struggles, but the feeling persisted, leaving him with a lingering sense of unease and empathy for him.

"I don't understand," Miray admitted after a brief pause, her confusion apparent. "So you believe it's normal to push away the people we care about?"

Ren offered a bittersweet smile. "It's not that it's normal, Rei, but aren't we all a bit... abnormal?" He contemplated for a moment. "Don't we sometimes distance ourselves from those we care about the most?"

Miray's mind almost grasped the essence of what Ren was saying, but she clung stubbornly to her own obliviousness. The truth he presented was harsh, and accepting it would only burden her already heavy heart. "You never did," she insisted, unwilling to let go of her belief.

"True," Ren acknowledged. "Not with you, no..." he confessed, acknowledging his inability to distance himself from Miray. "But with others, I did. Not because I don't care about them, but because it's just... I don't know how to put it. It's this strange sensation of carrying guilt for making them care too much, or for making their lives... miserable."