DOMAIN HASTINGS
He woke up slower than usual.
No alarms. No banging fists in his chest. No nightmares pulling him under.
Just warmth.
Heavy, silent warmth that made him forget for a moment where he was.
Domain blinked against the morning light creeping through the curtains.
The room was quiet, heavy with the kind of silence you only get early in the morning,before the rest of the house stirred. He started to shift, to stretch, then stopped.
There was weight against his side. Soft. Steady.
He looked down, barely moving his head.
Ariana.
She was curled against him, her cheek resting lightly on the side of his chest, knees tucked in toward her body like a cat trying to stay warm. One hand rested loosely near his tshirt, not clutching it, just there. Like she didn’t feel the need to hold on tightly.
She looked like she belonged to a world that had never hurt her.
Domain lay still, afraid that any movement would shatter the moment. But his mind was loud. Too loud.
What the hell...?
And then it hit him.
Not like a flash. More like a slow, steady wave pulling everything back to shore.
Last night.
The library.
Her quiet presence.
The pressure in his chest that finally cracked open.
He’d broken down in front of her, actually broken down. No yelling. No punching walls. Just… tears. Raw and silent.
And she didn’t flinch.
Didn’t pity him.
Didn’t walk away.
She just stayed.
He remembered the way her hand had rested in his, how small it felt. How warm. How steady.
How she didn’t say anything, didn’t interrupt, didn’t treat him like a problem to fix.
Just listened. Just stayed.
Then… the walk back.
He’d barely noticed where his feet were going. He remembered the door of his room opening, the heaviness in his bones making his legs weak.
He sat down.
She turned to go.
But he’d stopped her.
He remembered the exact moment.
His hand catching hers.
The words falling out of his mouth like they’d been buried for years.
"Stay."
He hadn’t looked at her when he said it.
He couldn’t.
He was terrified that if he saw confusion or pity on her face, he’d shatter all over again.
But she didn’t ask why. Didn’t hesitate.
She just stayed.
Now she was here.
Right next to him.
YOU ARE READING
Silent Scars
Teen FictionAfter enduring years of neglect and cruelty from her mother and stepfather, Ariana's life changes drastically when tragedy brings her under the guardianship of five brothers she's never met and they never even knew they had a sister. For her brother...
