The room was quiet.
Not peaceful—just quiet in the way silence lingers when there's nothing left worth saying.
I lay back against the bed, one arm resting over my eyes, letting the dim light press against the edges of my thoughts.
Asher.
A faint, almost invisible irritation settled in.
He hadn't changed.
Not even slightly.
Still the same composure. The same controlled expressions. The same quiet arrogance masked as certainty.
That persistent, polished narcissism.
It clung to him like something permanent–something he wore without ever realizing it showed.
I exhaled slowly.
"He still doesn't understand where he stands."
A pause.
"And that's exactly the problem."
My fingers tapped lightly against the mattress.
Once, I had given him attention.
Not casually.
Not lightly.
Completely.
And that had been enough to teach me something valuable.
People don't appreciate what they don't have to earn.
My gaze shifted toward the ceiling, unfocused.
"He's the reason I stopped giving people that privilege."
Not consciously.
Not dramatically.
Just… gradually.
Quietly.
Like closing a door and never opening it again.
The sharp vibration of my phone cut through the stillness.
I didn't move at first.
Then, with a small shift, I reached for it.
Melisa.
Of course.
I stared at the name for a second before answering.
"What is it?" I said flatly.
"OH MY GOD, LUNE–GUESS WHAT!"
I pulled the phone slightly away from my ear.
"Why are you always this loud?" I muttered. "What happened now?"
"It's actually something big this time," she said, barely containing her excitement. "We got in. The same college. I checked twice–I swear I thought I was seeing things."
Silence.
Then she continued–
"We're going to be together for two more years. Can you believe that?"
I closed my eyes briefly.
"Of course you are," I thought.
"Of course you'd follow."
Aloud, I let a soft laugh slip through.
"You're joking," I said, voice shifting effortlessly. "That's… actually amazing."
"I KNOW, RIGHT?" she almost squealed. "I was literally jumping around–my mom thinks I've lost it."
"I wouldn't be surprised."
She laughed.
"And you? How are you? Everything okay?"
"I'm fine."
A pause.
Short.
Unnecessary.
Then,
"Have you heard from Raymon lately?"
I tilted my head slightly.
"No."
"Really?"
"I blocked him."
Another second of silence.
Then she laughed again, softer this time.
"You're honestly unpredictable, Lune."
"I'm consistent," I corrected. "People just fail to keep up."
"Fair enough," she said. "He deserved it anyway."
Then, casually–
"So… are you seeing someone now?"
A beat.
Then I replied, just as casually–
"Yeah."
That caught her.
"Wait–what? Since when?"
I let my gaze drift toward the window.
"Remember Marcos? From the farewell?"
"Yes… the one who kept hovering around you?"
"That one."
"Well?"
"He asked me out."
There was a pause.
Then–
"WHAT?!" she almost shouted. "Tell me everything. Right now. How did he do it?"
I didn't answer immediately.
Because for a moment–
I wasn't in my room anymore.
The street.
Dim.
Still.
The air felt colder than it should have.
He stood in front of me, closer than before.
Closer than necessary.
His gaze didn't move.
Didn't falter.
"You don't need to do this," I said, voice even. "I don't owe you anything for helping me."
"That's not why I'm here."
"Then what?"
A pause.
Then–
"Will you date me."
I watched him.
Carefully.
"And why would I do that?"
His jaw tightened slightly–not in frustration, but in restraint.
"Because I want to keep you safe."
A silence followed.
Then,
I laughed.
Soft.
Sharp.
Unimpressed.
"Safe?"
The word lingered, almost mocking.
"You think being in a relationship gives you that right?"
He didn't interrupt.
Didn't defend immediately.
So I continued.
"I don't need someone hovering over me, tracking where I go, deciding what's 'safe' and what isn't."
A step closer.
My gaze locked into his.
"I don't belong to anyone. Not in that way. Not in any way."
My voice dropped slightly.
"Protection isn't a privilege you earn by standing next to me."
A pause.
"It's not something I need at all."
Silence.
Then he exhaled slowly.
"I know."
That caught my attention.
"I know you don't need it," he continued. "You're probably more capable than most people I know."
His tone was steady.
Measured.
"You're independent. You think ahead. You notice things people miss."
A brief pause.
"I'm not saying you can't handle yourself."
His gaze softened, just slightly.
"I'm saying I don't want to stand there and do nothing while you do."
That was… different.
"I need you to understand something," he added quietly. "This isn't about control."
A step closer.
"It's about me choosing you."
Silence.
Then,
"Decision," I repeated.
The word tasted strange.
"You think this is something you decide on your own?"
His expression didn't shift.
"No."
A pause.
"I'm asking you to decide with me."
That landed.
Not emotionally.
Not deeply.
Just… differently.
"People really believe in things like this," I thought.
"In choosing. In meaning."
"And in the illusion that it gives them something permanent."
Aloud, I tilted my head slightly.
"And what if I say no?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Then I leave."
A pause.
"But I don't think you will."
That made me look at him more closely.
"Confident."
"Observant," he corrected.
Silence stretched between us.
Then,
"I like you, Lune."
Simple.
Direct.
Unadorned.
And for a second,
Everything stilled.
Because that was it.
That exact moment.
That exact line.
"I like you."
My lips curved, just barely.
"Exactly."
"That's what I was waiting for."
There it was.
That shift.
That quiet surrender people never realize they make.
Not weakness.
Not stupidity.
Just… inevitability.
Like stepping forward without noticing the edge.
But,
I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"He hasn't fallen completely."
"No."
"Not yet."
There was still something steady in him.
Something that hadn't bent.
That hadn't adjusted.
Not entirely.
And that made it…
Interesting.
I didn't answer.
Didn't accept.
Didn't reject.
I just let the silence sit between us.
Long enough.
Heavy enough.
Then,
I turned.
Walked past him.
No explanation.
No conclusion.
"…Lune? HELLO??"
Melisa's voice snapped me back.
I blinked once, the room settling back into place around me.
"Yeah."
"Well? Don't just disappear, what happened?"
"Nothing dramatic," I said calmly.
"He just showed up outside my house and asked."
"That's it?!"
"That's it."
"And you?"
A small pause.
"I didn't give him an answer."
"WHAT?!" she nearly yelled again. "Why not?!"
I shifted slightly, letting my gaze settle somewhere distant.
"Because," I said quietly, "answers are too easy."
A pause.
"People value things more when they're uncertain."
Silence.
She didn't respond immediately.
Of course she didn't.
Most people wouldn't understand that.
"I'll call you later," I added.
"Wait, Lune–"
I ended the call.
The room fell silent again.
But this time,
It felt different.
Lighter.
More… controlled.
I stood up slowly and walked toward the window, looking out into the dim street below.
People moved.
Unaware.
Predictable.
A faint smile touched my lips.
"People think they're choosing something when they fall in love."
A pause.
"They don't realize they're just reacting."
My fingers rested lightly against the glass.
"And reactions…"
My voice dropped, almost a whisper.
"…can be studied."
I stepped back.
Turned.
And walked toward the door.
No hesitation.
No second thoughts.
Just that same quiet, controlled certainty.
A faint smile still lingering,
as I slipped out of the room without a word.