Novel-novel oleh Divine

'That had been… awkward.' she thought to herself. The dinner replayed in fragments for a few seconds before she pushed herself away from the door and walked further into her room. She sat on the side of the bed and then, uninvited and inevitable, Ryan crossed her mind. His face. His voice and she thought about the tension that had followed them like a shadow earlier that day. Just then, a dangerous thought slipped in before she could stop it. 'What if I just ask him?' It was one thing to wonder. It was another thing to ask. She told herself she was being reckless. Her stomach tightened immediately. Ask him… what exactly? How he feels? If he feels anything at all? The thought alone made her pulse race. She let out a small breath and shook her head at herself. What was wrong with her? This wasn’t her. She didn’t confront feelings head-on. She didn’t walk into uncertainty willingly. And yet, there she was, her heart restless and her mind refusing to settle. She stood abruptly

Ryan got back into the house and stood near the hallway.He made a decision to go and pick up the car from the bar but then he thought, What if she leaves again? Or what if she has somewhere else to go? They both had returned minutes ago. She was back under this roof. She was physically safe. By all reasonable measures, that should have been enough but still, if she needed to leave again he needed to know. He exhaled slowly through his nose and finally waved over a nearby worker. "Could you help me with something?" he asked. "Yes," the woman replied immediately. "Please go upstairs and ask Sylvie if she plans on going anywhere else today." He paused, then added carefully, "Tell her I’m the one asking." The worker nodded and headed toward the stairs. Ryan watched her go. He checked his phone, then slipped it back into his pocket. He paced for a moment. Then stopped. He didn’t like this feeling, this waiting. When the worker finally returned, he straightened eager to h

It was almost 1:00 p.m. when they finally entered the city they both lived in. Sylvie looked at her phone to check the time Sylvie noticed it immediately, the subtle shift in the air and the familiar turns of the road. The drive had felt endless, she started to wonder how she drove so far away. She sat up a little straighter in her seat, with her fingers tightening around the strap of her purse. For a moment, she simply watched Ryan’s hands on the steering wheel. It was just steady and controlled just like everything about him. To her, he always acted like he had no emotions whatsoever. "Ryan," she called out. He hummed in acknowledgment but didn’t look at her. "I think… I should return the car to my friend first," she continued. "After that, we can take a cab back to the house." There was a brief pause. Just long enough for her to wonder if she’d said something wrong. "Okay," he said finally. That was all. The quiet settled back between them again. Sylvie turned her gaze

Whatever connection was happening there, Ryan was the one to break it. He stepped back from her slowly, as if putting that physical distance between them might calm whatever had just passed through the room.He let go of her hand, turned without another word and walked back to the chair he’d been sitting on earlier, picking up his fork and returning to the rest of his meal as if nothing unusual and unsettling just happened. Sylvie remained where she was for a second too long. She stood there, with her fingers curling lightly at her sides, unsure of what she was supposed to do now. Finally, she turned toward the hallway, intending to go to the living room, needing space to breathe. "Miss Wilfred." Ryan’s voice stopped her mid step. She turned back slowly. "We’ll leave as soon as I've finished here," he said, not looking at her. His attention remained on his plate. "So you should get ready." "Oh. Okay," she muttered, the word barely audible as she nodded and walked away. She set

Ryan was done with what he was preparing long before Sylvie realized she’d been watching him. It wasn’t deliberate at first. Her eyes had simply just followed the quiet rhythm of him moving around the kitchen, how comfortable he seemed in the space. She realized she’d been staring only when he turned. His gaze caught hers before she could look away. Her spine straightened instantly, as if she’d been caught doing something she shouldn’t. She adjusted where she sat, pulling herself together, tucking her legs in closer, smoothing the sleeves of the shirt she was wearing, his shirt. He didn't act like he noticed anything. If he noticed at all, he didn’t show it. He simply picked up a glass, filled it with water, and brought it over to her. He set it down in front of her. She looked at the glass. Then at him. There was a very clear refusal sitting on her tongue, hovering right there, ready to be voiced. Her brows drew together slightly, her lips parted as if she were about to a

Ryan stopped in front of the door longer than necessary. For a moment, he just stood there. He could hear nothing from the other side of the door Then he finally lifted his hand and knocked once. There was no response. He knocked again, a little firmer this time. Still nothing. A flicker of concern crossed his face. He reached for the handle and pushed the door open slowly. The curtains were still half drawn, allowing pale morning light to spill into the room. Sylvie was on the bed, with her arms stretching above her head, and her body shifting lazily as if she had been pulled from a dream she wasn’t quite ready to leave, and it was immediately obvious she had been asleep until his knocking disturbed her. She groaned softly, rolling slightly to one side. Ryan straightened suddenly aware that he had walked into her room without warning. "Sorry," he said quickly, his voice low. "I knocked." She blinked, squinting toward the light, then toward him. "It’s… fine," she muttere