Silent Affection

Chapter 6: A Glimpse of Vulnerability

The next day, Kiomie felt a new sense of anticipation as she walked toward the library. Her thoughts kept circling back to her conversation with Theo. His revelation about his father had changed something between them, opening a door she hadn’t even realized was closed. She wondered what today would bring—if he’d share more or if they’d settle back into their usual routine.

As she entered the library, she saw Theo already seated at their table, but today, his posture was different. He wasn’t hunched over his notes like usual. Instead, he was staring out the window, lost in thought. There was a heaviness in his gaze that Kiomie hadn’t seen before. His face, though calm, seemed distant, like he was somewhere else entirely.

“Hey,” she said softly as she approached the table.

Theo blinked, pulling himself back to the present. “Hey,” he replied, his voice quieter than usual.

Kiomie sat down, opening her notebook, but her mind wasn’t on the project. She wanted to ask if he was okay again, but she also didn’t want to push. Yesterday, he had opened up a little, but that didn’t mean he was ready to talk more. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was weighing on him even more heavily today.

They worked in silence for a while, both of them scribbling down notes and organizing their thoughts. But Kiomie could tell that Theo’s mind wasn’t on the project. His responses were shorter than usual, and his eyes kept drifting back to the window. She decided to break the silence.

“You don’t have to pretend with me,” she said gently, not looking up from her notes. “If something’s bothering you, we can take a break. We don’t have to talk about the project.”

Theo didn’t respond right away. He was quiet for so long that Kiomie started to think maybe she had overstepped. But then, he let out a long breath, his hand running through his dark hair.

“It’s… my dad,” he said finally, his voice low. “He’s not doing well. They don’t think he’ll get better this time.”

Kiomie felt a lump form in her throat. She didn’t know what to say—what could she say in a moment like this? No words seemed enough to ease the kind of pain he was going through.

“I’m so sorry, Theo,” she whispered, her voice full of genuine sympathy. “That’s… I can’t imagine how hard that must be.”

Theo nodded slightly, his eyes still focused on some distant point outside the window. “I’ve known for a while that this was coming, but… it’s different now that it’s real, you know? It’s like everything’s collapsing, and there’s nothing I can do.”

Kiomie watched him for a moment, seeing the cracks in his usually composed exterior. She had never seen Theo like this—so vulnerable, so exposed. It was as if the weight he had been carrying for so long was finally starting to break him down, and he couldn’t hide it anymore.

Without thinking, Kiomie reached across the table and gently placed her hand over his. It was a small gesture, but she hoped it would be enough to show him that he wasn’t alone, that she was there with him, even if she couldn’t fully understand what he was going through.

Theo looked down at her hand, and for a moment, his stoic mask cracked completely. His dark eyes softened, and Kiomie saw the raw pain hidden behind them.

“Thanks,” he said quietly, his voice barely audible. “I don’t really talk to people about this stuff. I’m not used to… sharing.”

“I get it,” Kiomie said softly, giving his hand a small squeeze before pulling hers back. “But you don’t have to do this alone. It’s okay to lean on someone, even if it’s just for a little while.”

Theo gave her a small, almost grateful smile. “I guess I’m starting to realize that.”

For the rest of the afternoon, they didn’t talk much about the project. Instead, their conversation flowed into more personal territory. Theo talked about his dad—about the memories they shared before his illness, about how it was hard to reconcile the man he used to be with the man he was now. Kiomie listened, offering quiet support and understanding, never pushing him to say more than he was ready to.

By the time they parted ways that evening, Kiomie felt closer to Theo than she ever had before. It wasn’t just about their shared project anymore. There was a connection between them now—a bond formed from vulnerability and trust.

As she walked home, Kiomie couldn’t help but think about how different Theo was from the image she had built of him over the years. He wasn’t just the quiet, mysterious boy she had been curious about. He was kind, thoughtful, and deeply protective of the people he cared about. And now that she was starting to see the real Theo, she found herself wanting to know even more.

But with that desire came a new fear—what if she got too close? What if the silence between them was broken completely, and she wasn’t ready for what she might find?

For the first time, Kiomie realized that the silence she had once been so eager to break wasn’t just Theo’s—it was hers too. And now, she had to decide if she was ready to face what lay beneath it.