𝐄𝐙𝐄𝐊𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐞'𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞

25

As I looked into Ezekiel's eyes, an overwhelming fear seized me, wrapping around my heart and squeezing tighter with every heartbeat. The crimson glow in his gaze seemed to pierce straight into my soul, unraveling my composure and sending cold shivers down my spine. A suffocating dread filled the air between us, pressing in relentlessly as I struggled to keep my own emotions in check. The fear became a tangible weight, heavy and cold, tightening around me with every passing second.

Without thinking, I pushed away from him, my instincts urging me to retreat, to put any amount of distance between us. I needed to escape the intensity that his presence radiated, an aura that chilled me to the bone. My body trembled as I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling small and vulnerable under his gaze.

"Akira?" he called out, his voice soft yet laced with hurt. His tone cut through the haze of terror clouding my mind, but it didn't ease the fear gripping my heart.

"What... what are you?" I managed to whisper, barely finding my voice. I couldn't look at him as I clutched a towel tightly around myself, desperate for some sense of security, no matter how fragile.

"A-Akira, I..." His voice broke, and I caught a hint of vulnerability, as though he, too, was struggling to find the right words, some kind of explanation that might ease my fears. But it wasn't enough. Not with the unease gnawing at me, twisting my emotions into a painful knot.

I forced myself to step out of the bathroom, my body stiff and tense, heart pounding as I tried to gather my thoughts. I couldn't stay in this room, couldn't stand the closeness that lingered between us. The unknown-the dark mystery surrounding him-was too much, too terrifying to face.

"Get out," I demanded, the words slipping out in a choked, desperate tone. I turned my back to him, staring blankly ahead, trying to steady my breath. Behind me, I heard the faint sound of him gathering his clothes, each movement a quiet reminder of the whirlwind of emotions that had built up in such a short time.

As he dressed in silence, the room felt colder, the weight of my words hanging between us. His footsteps were slow, reluctant, and I didn't dare turn around. I waited, holding my breath until I finally heard the soft click of the door, signaling his departure.

In the sudden silence, the reality of what had happened settled in, bringing with it a creeping sense of regret. I hadn't even looked back, hadn't seen the expression on his face, the pain I was sure lingered in his eyes. The fear that had consumed me moments ago now left an ache in its place, a hollow feeling that gnawed at my heart.

I had let my own terror blind me to whatever he might've felt, to the vulnerability he might've been struggling with. The echoes of his quiet exit filled the empty space, a stark reminder of the confusion and turmoil that now lay between us.

🤍🤍🤍

For the first time, I felt the burn of tears in my eyes. I tried to hold them back, tried to keep myself composed, but the pain of her fear and the distance between us broke something in me. A single tear slipped down my cheek, and I didn't brush it away. I let it fall, feeling the weight of it, the heaviness of emotions I had buried for so long finally surfacing.

I stood outside her door, heart heavy with the memory of the fear in Akira's eyes. She had looked at me as though I was something to be escaped, something dark and dangerous. That look haunted me, settling deep within as I leaned against the wall, trying to piece myself back together.

I hadn't expected her to fully understand what I was, but I hadn't anticipated fear of this intensity, either. I closed my eyes, still feeling the warmth of her kiss lingering like a ghost, a reminder of what we'd shared just moments before everything unraveled. That closeness, that vulnerability, was something I had longed for, only to have it slip away.

I exhaled, frustration tightening in my chest. The trust we had started to build felt fractured now, as if that single look had driven a wedge between us that I wasn't sure how to mend. A part of me wanted to knock on the door again, to try to explain, to reassure her. But I could still feel the way she had pulled back, as if she couldn't bear my presence, and it stopped me in my tracks.

"Akira..." I murmured her name under my breath, the sound empty in the quiet hallway. She had become so much more to me than I ever anticipated. She was the one person who could make me feel human, and yet in that moment, she saw me as something unknown and terrifying.

I finally pushed myself away from the wall and forced myself to walk away. I knew she needed space. Someday, maybe, I would have the chance to show her that there was nothing to fear. That she was safe with me, if she could only look past the shadows of the unknown. Until then, all I could do was wait, hoping that her fear would eventually subside, and I'd still be there, waiting to rebuild what had just been broken.

🤍🤍🤍

I sat at the Morganthe family breakfast table, my hands wrapped around my coffee cup as I tried to focus on the casual conversations around me. Despite the warmth of the setting and the soft laughter that filled the room, I felt like I was drifting in a sea of turmoil, a storm inside me I couldn't escape.

Jade, ever the attentive one, asked about Akira. Her voice was light, curious, but I could feel the weight of her gaze. I forced a smile, the kind that didn't reach my eyes. "She's fine," I said, my voice steady, though it cracked slightly under the pressure of keeping up the facade.

Inside, though, I was anything but fine. The image of Akira's face, her eyes filled with fear, kept replaying in my mind like a broken record. I hadn't meant to make her feel that way, but everything had spiraled out of control. I had gotten too close, too fast, and now, I was the one who had pushed her away with the very thing I thought would bring us closer.

As I took a sip of my coffee, I noticed the laughter around me, the lighthearted banter between Jade and the others, and I realized I was just pretending. Pretending to be okay, pretending like everything was fine when inside, I felt like I was falling apart.

But I couldn't let them see it. I couldn't let anyone see how much I was unraveling. So, I smiled a little wider, laughed a little louder, and buried the storm inside, hoping that one day, it would pass.