Chapter 63

The one thing that had become apparent to Aria was the frequency at which she's been embracing silence. It seems to follow her everywhere recently.

Sometimes it's peaceful. But this time, it wasn't the peaceful kind...it was the kind that presses in on you, makes your thoughts too loud. The kind that weighs down heavy on you making it hard to breath.

Damian’s car cut through the city streets smoothly, efficiently, but neither of them spoke. The space between them felt charged, like a held breath stretched too long.

She watched the buildings blur past the window, her reflection faint in the glass. She looked the same but felt entirely different.

“You didn’t ask where we’re going,” Damian said finally, breaking the silence streak.

She turned her head slightly. “Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

She considered that. “Alright then, tell me.”

“My place,” he said. “For now.”

“For now,” she repeated. "Why your place though?"

“It’s safer than Richard’s,” he replied. “And less predictable.”

Her mouth cu