Chasing Shadows

Chapter Forty-Seven: Shifting Tides

The tension between Zane and Rhea was palpable, a simmering undercurrent that threaded through every interaction. After their heated exchange, Zane found himself avoiding Rhea as much as he could, choosing instead to bury himself in solitary patrols and missions. The silence between them was stifling, each word left unsaid a reminder of how much their partnership had changed. But if there was one thing Rhea was, it was persistent. And she had no intention of letting Zane slip through her fingers.

It started with small comments, woven casually into their conversations.

“You were gone all night again,” Rhea remarked one evening as Zane slipped back into their base, his hair tousled and his face flushed from the cool night air. “I assume you were checking on him.”

Zane’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond.

“You know,” she continued, her voice deceptively soft, “for someone who claims he’s just ‘helping’ Ethan, you certainly spend a lot of time looking out for him. Almost like you’re waiting for something.”

Zane shot her a sharp look, but Rhea merely raised an eyebrow, unflinching.

“I’m not waiting for anything,” he muttered, more to himself than to her. “Just making sure he’s okay.”

“Of course,” she replied smoothly, leaning back against the wall with a knowing smile. “Because that’s what we do, right? We protect heroes. It’s always been our top priority.”

“Rhea,” Zane warned, his voice low.

She held up her hands in mock surrender, her smile widening. “Alright, alright. Just… consider this: maybe what you’re looking for isn’t something Ethan can give you. You said you’re tired of living in the shadows, right? Well, look around. You’re not really out of the shadows when you’re standing behind him.”

Rhea’s words lingered long after she’d left the room, echoing in Zane’s mind as he tried to push them aside. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized she might have a point. No matter how much time he spent around Ethan, it was never quite enough. There was always this aching, empty space between them—a distance that Ethan seemed unwilling, or perhaps unable, to bridge.

And maybe that’s because Ethan didn’t want to.

The thought struck Zane harder than he’d expected. Maybe Rhea was right. Maybe Ethan didn’t see him as anything more than a fleeting presence, a ghost from the past that occasionally haunted his present. Zane had clung to the hope that there was still something left between them, but what if he was wrong?

What if he was just standing there, waiting for a door that would never open?

---

On the other side of town, Jonah was having a similar conversation—albeit, a little less subtle and a lot more direct.

“Why do you keep doing this to yourself, man?” Jonah asked, his voice tinged with exasperation. He sat sprawled out on Ethan’s couch, his legs dangling over the side while Ethan slouched in the armchair opposite, his face half-buried in his hands.

“Doing what?” Ethan mumbled, his voice muffled.

“This!” Jonah gestured wildly, his bracelets jangling. “This whole ‘pining after a ghost’ thing. Zane’s not coming back, Ethan. He made that pretty damn clear. So why are you still torturing yourself over it?”

Ethan’s shoulders sagged, and he let out a long, weary sigh. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” Jonah shot back, crossing his arms.