Between silence and fire

The rain tapped quietly against the windowpane, but Alina's breath came in gasps. She sat upright in bed, drenched in cold sweat. The images wouldn't stop-Damian's voice, the kiss, Jesse's eyes full of pain, the box full of secrets. It all swirled in her dreams like smoke.

She looked around the dim room, heart still pounding.

The light from the study was still on.

She rose slowly, wrapped in silence and guilt, and padded down the hall. Jesse sat by the window, head leaned back against the chair, eyes open, staring into the night like he was trying to see through it.

"You're not sleeping," she said softly.

He looked at her, face unreadable. "Neither are you."

Alina hesitated, then sat across from him. "Nightmares," she whispered. "Everything feels like it's falling apart."

Jesse's voice was low. "It is. You just haven't accepted it yet."

She blinked. "That's not fair."

He turned to her, tired. "What isn't fair is loving someone who doesn't even know if she trusts you."

Silence hung bet