The Moon Shines when the Sun Isn't Around

Part 46

Oreo glanced up from her book, her brow furrowed as she watched King push his chair back from the table.
"You okay, King?" she asked, sensing something off in his usually calm demeanor.

King nodded, though his eyes remained glued to his half-eaten plate of toast.
"Yeah. Just need some air," he muttered, getting up. The soft morning light filtered into the room, doing little to brighten the mood. His steps were heavy as he made his way out, leaving behind the breakfast he barely touched.

Raina's eyes followed him, a subtle worry in her expression, but she said nothing. Oreo looked at her as if searching for some silent explanation, but Raina merely shrugged, her focus still on the retreating figure of her brother.

Later, after the day's quiet moments had passed, Oreo found King back in his bedroom. The soft hum of his Xbox was the only sound in the room as he immersed himself in a game. Without saying a word, she quietly slipped in and picked up the second controller, joining him. This was their unspoken routine lately—distraction through games, where words failed them.

For hours, they played in companionable silence. The rhythmic tapping of buttons and the whirr of digital landscapes on the screen provided a welcome escape from the tension that lingered between them. But as the rain outside intensified, the game no longer served as a distraction for Oreo. She could feel the unspoken thoughts swirling inside King's head, could sense the weight pressing down on him. And she couldn't ignore it any longer.

After the final match ended, Oreo set her controller down and broke the silence.
"King, we need to talk," she said softly.

King exhaled, his fingers still wrapped around the controller. He knew what was coming, and yet, he wasn't sure he was ready to confront it.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice barely audible over the sound of the rain tapping against the windows.

Oreo turned to face him, her heart pounding.
"You've been distant. And I've been trying to give you space, but... I'm scared, King. Scared of losing you." Her voice wavered slightly, the vulnerability clear in her words.

King sat there for a moment, his eyes downcast as her words settled over him like a heavy blanket. Finally, he looked up, meeting her gaze.
"I'm sorry, Oreo. I didn't mean to make you feel like that. It's just... I've had a lot on my mind," he admitted. "With school, with everything going on, and... with you."

Oreo blinked, her throat tightening as his words hung between them. She knew there was more to what he was saying—more to the tension that had been building for weeks now.
"With me?" she echoed softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "King, what are we? I mean, I know we've been close, but lately, it feels like... I don't even know anymore."

King ran a hand through his hair, frustration and confusion etched into every line of his face.
"I don't know either," he confessed, his voice thick with emotion. "That's what's been messing with my head. I don't know what we are, and it scares me. But I do know I care about you, Oreo. A lot."

Oreo's heart skipped a beat at his words, her pulse racing.
"I care about you too, King," she said, her voice trembling with the weight of her own feelings. "But it feels like something's changed. Like... we're not just friends anymore, but we're also not... anything else. And I don't know how to handle that."

King leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his face buried in his hands. The vulnerability in Oreo's voice made his chest tighten, and for the first time in a long while, he didn't know what to say. He had been avoiding this conversation because, deep down, he knew she was right. Things had changed between them—quickly, and without either of them fully understanding what it meant.

After a long pause, King finally spoke, his voice low but firm.
"I've been scared too," he admitted. "Scared of losing you as a friend, scared of messing things up, scared that whatever this is between us will ruin everything. But I can't ignore how I feel. I just don't know if I'm ready to put a label on it yet."