The Things We Cannot Say Novels & Stories

My throat closed on words too big for my mouth. "You'll see why I was unable to say it. You'll see why certain things are to be discovered and not to be uttered." His jaws clenched, the muscle flexing under his skin as irritation skipped over his face like a flash of lightning. I knew he hated riddles, hated not knowing when the answer lay just under his nose. Rowan was an uncomplicated man, a man who liked to act rather than to question, and I was making him navigate a maze when all he wanted was a certainty. But before he could speak his disapproval, before he could ask for something I was not yet ready to grant, I continued on, speaking in a whisper beneath the load of the accumulated yea

Something deeper. ​“It’s aware of me,” she said. ​Silence followed that—heavy, uncomfortable. Because there was no version of that statement that ended well. ​“We contain this,” I said, my voice lower now, more controlled. “No one else needs to know until we understand it.” Nira tilted her head slightly. “You think we can contain something like this?” “I think we try.” “And if we can’t?” I held her gaze. “Then we stop it.”

“Things that are bigger than you, than me, than anything you can imagine.” “Then explain it to me,” I shot back. “I’m not some clueless trophy wife you can parade around. I deserve to know what’s going on.” For a moment, I thought he might actually tell me, but then he shook his head, a sad smile playing on his lips. “Some things are better left unsaid, Wifey. Trust me on this.”

"You can kill the men who wield it. You can bury the bodies. You can even seal the place and burn the trees. But unless you stop the joining, it always finds a way back." I swallowed hard. Then said what had to be said. “We have to stop it.”

he said in a resolute voice. "Why not?" I can't help but ask. "We just—we just can't. Cyrus can't know about us. We can't tell him." "How about to other people? Like Arthur? We can't tell them too?" "We can't," he said. "It's not only Cyrus that we can't tell our relationship to. Nobody can know about this thing that we have. It's not official anyway," he said, pursing his lips together. At that moment, I realized what he was implying.

Of course, how would that have been possible? We were from two distinct sects. “Yeah,” he answered, nodding. “Why?” “I really need to pee,” I whispered, as if scared that if I said it out loud, the embarrassment would be more. Jordan nodded and started the engine. “Okay.”

𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙙𝙚 - 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪'𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚.

What’s this thing you’re trying not to do? Don’t say it’s nothing. There’s someone else you’re trying not to be, right there behind your eyes. I see it. Look at me. Please.

Pained. “Enough.” “That’s not an answer.” “It’s the only one I can give.” “Can you override it?” A pause. Then— “Sometimes.” “Do it.” “I can’t right now.” “Why?” “Because they’re watching.” I glance up instinctively. Cameras. Hidden. Everywhere. “Then we break it,” I say. “You can’t.” “Yes, I can.” “No,” she says, her voice tightening again. “You can’t break something you don’t understand.”

Something in my chest twisted. "We cannot change what has happened," I started, scanning the room. "But we can change what will. We should not allow ourselves dwell on a past we cannot change because, quite frankly, it won't change anything. We spent years, centuries, blinded by hate, despising ourselves for our perceived 'differences'."