Serenity

1 | Out of the System

Leo had to leave.

It was something regarding the role he'd landed, and he had to leave immediately, or else he'd lose the opportunity. So, a whirlwind of a phone call, a frantic scramble to get ready, and then he was gone.

I knew that it was necessary for him to go, but a part of me wanted to cling to him, to plead with him to stay and not leave me alone with his brother after what happened. I knew it was selfish, but Leo was like a human shield for me, effortlessly absorbing the awkwardness and transforming it into easy banter. He could've handled the situation pretty well and diffused the tense silence that built between Shane and me as soon as we were alone.

Leo did offer to drop me off on his way when I had come back after cleaning up, but I declined. He was already running late, and he would've had to make a detour. He didn't even have the time to argue, so he gave up. But not before insisting that Shane drop me off instead, even though I said I could call a cab.

I wasn't sure why Leo was so adamant about the fact that I should've gone with Shane, but I agreed to it anyway, mainly because I didn't know how to say no. Maybe it was his way of ensuring that nothing awkward happened between us and that we talked it out.

The professor and I did need to talk. We needed to sort out what had happened between us, and I would've rather done that alone than with Leo, despite him being the reason for the tension that was there between us.

My eyes darted to Shane, taking in his rigid posture as he stood there, near the window of the living room. His jaw was clenched and his brow furrowed in concentration as he looked out, and I could almost hear his thoughts racing.

I heard the distant sound of Leo pulling out of the driveway before the echo of his car faded, the noise of his car growing quieter until I could no longer hear it.

And then the silence returned, almost deafening, and the urge to say something, anything, to break the ice was overwhelming. But I couldn't think of anything to say, and it seemed like neither could Shane, as he didn't look away from the window.

He had been as silent as a rock, but I could almost feel the guilt radiating from him. I wanted to know what was going on in his mind. We'd had such a nice time together last night, and it felt like we'd share a connection in that moment. But now he was back to giving me the silent treatment, and last night just felt like a dream now—a beautiful, forbidden dream that had felt so right.

Was he regretting what we did? Was he ashamed? Confused? I was definitely confused, but it wasn't like we had actually done something wrong. We were both adults, and we both wanted it.

There was nothing wrong with what just happened.

Right?

I glanced at him again, searching his face for answers. Was I overthinking things? Maybe he just needed time?

Finally, I gathered enough courage to speak up, not able to bear the awkward silence any longer.

"Um," I started, my voice wavering slightly. "You know, there is a slight problem with you dropping me."

He didn't even look away from the window; he just gave a curt nod, acknowledging what I said.

"It's just, we might get recognized," I went on. "I mean, what if someone sees us together on a Saturday morning, and they tell on us, and then—"

"You don't have to worry about that." His eyes finally left the window and landed on me for a second before going back to staring outside.

"But—"

"I'll meet you outside once I'm dressed," he cut me off, sounding way too calm but still not looking at me. Then he just walked away, heading upstairs, leaving me alone in the living room.