Chap 7
The stage break finally comes a little later.
Ren is off to the side, sitting for the first time in hours, still in costume, mic off, sipping water the staff had insisted on earlier.
The same tall staff member passes by again—checking schedules, efficient as before.
⸻
He slows slightly when he sees her.
⸻
Staff
Everything okay? Need anything adjusted?
⸻
Ren looks up at him.
Not immediately answering.
Just... studying him.
Longer than she means to.
Not in a romantic way.
More like something in her memory is trying to match a shape.
A tone.
A presence from before.
⸻
For a brief second, her expression softens in a distant, unfocused way.
Like she's somewhere else entirely.
⸻
Ren
...You remind me of someone.
⸻
The staff pauses, slightly unsure.
⸻
Staff
Oh?
⸻
Ren blinks, coming back to the moment.
Then shakes her head lightly.
⸻
Ren
Never mind. It's nothing.
⸻
But her gaze lingers a second too long before she looks away.
⸻
⸻
A few meters away
Evan sees it.
He doesn't interrupt immediately.
Doesn't move in right away.
Just watches the exchange finish.
And watches her look at the staff like that.
Like she's remembering something.
Like she's not fully in the present for that moment.
⸻
Something shifts—but quietly.
Not anger.
Not obvious jealousy.
Something more contained.
More internal.
⸻
He walks over.
Slow.
Calm.
⸻
He stops beside her just as the staff leaves.
⸻
Evan
You know him.
⸻
It's not a question.
But it isn't an accusation either.
Just a read of the situation.
⸻
Ren looks up at him.
⸻
Ren
What?
No. I just said he reminded me of someone.
⸻
Evan's gaze stays steady on her for a moment.
Then flicks briefly in the direction the staff left.
⸻
Evan
You were looking at him for a long time.
⸻
Ren immediately exhales like she already knows where this is going.
⸻
Ren
Oh my god.
Don't start.
⸻
She leans back slightly in her chair.
⸻
Ren
I wasn't doing anything. I was thinking.
⸻
Evan doesn't respond right away.
Just takes that in.
⸻
Then—
calmly:
⸻
Evan
About him.
⸻
Ren pauses.
Then sits up a bit straighter.
⸻
Ren
No.
About someone else.
That's literally what I said.
⸻
A beat.
Evan's expression doesn't change much, but his attention sharpens slightly.
Not louder.
Just more focused.
⸻
Evan
Who.
⸻
Ren stares at him.
⸻
Ren
You're not interrogating me right now.
⸻
Evan
I'm asking.
⸻
She sighs, rubbing her temple.
⸻
Ren
It's not even important. He just... had the same way of speaking. That's it.
⸻
A pause.
Evan looks at her for a long moment.
Then:
⸻
Evan
And you looked at him like it meant something.
⸻
That makes her freeze.
⸻
Not because it's true.
But because of how he said it.
Quiet.
Measuring.
Already interpreting it in a direction she didn't intend.
⸻
Ren sits forward slightly.
⸻
Ren
No.
That's not what that was.
⸻
Silence.
The backstage noise continues around them, but between them it tightens.
Not dramatic.
Just subtle misunderstanding forming.
⸻
Evan nods once.
But it's not fully resolved.
⸻
Evan
Okay.
⸻
Too calm.
Too contained.
⸻
Ren immediately points at him.
⸻
Ren
Don't "okay" me like that.
That's your suspicious voice.
⸻
He looks at her.
⸻
Evan
I trust you.
⸻
A pause.
Then, slightly quieter:
⸻
Evan
But I don't trust what I don't know.
⸻
That lands heavier than he probably intended.
⸻
Ren goes silent for a moment.
Then leans back again, exhaling.
⸻
Ren
You're overthinking.
⸻
Evan doesn't deny it this time.
Just stands there beside her.
Still.
Watching.
⸻
And even though nothing is said after that—
the distance between misunderstanding and reassurance is just a little harder to close than it was before.
Ren pauses for a moment, realizing exactly how that sounded from his perspective.
Then she exhales, a little defeated.
⸻
Ren
...You're really going to spiral over that?
⸻
Evan doesn't respond. He's still watching her, calm—but clearly not fully convinced yet.
So she straightens slightly in her chair.
⸻
Ren
He reminded me of someone who was also very... overly attentive.
When I first came to this festival as a guest.
That's it.
⸻
A beat.
Her ears are faintly pink now—not from guilt, but from the awkwardness of having to explain something so unnecessary out loud.
⸻
Ren (muttering)
You're the one who made it weird.
⸻
Evan's gaze softens slightly, but he still doesn't fully move away from the thought yet.
⸻
So Ren sighs again, stands up, and steps closer to him.
⸻
Before he can say anything else, she reaches up and gently cups his face.
Her touch is light—firm enough to ground him, soft enough to calm him.
⸻
Ren
Look at me.
⸻
He does.
Immediately.
⸻
Her expression shifts from teasing to something more sincere now.
⸻
Ren
It's you.
Okay?
Not him. Not anyone else.
Just you being... you.
⸻
A pause.
Her thumb brushes lightly along his cheek once.
⸻
Ren
You're the one I was talking about anyway.
That's why it felt familiar.
⸻
Evan stays still under her touch, his expression finally easing—some of that quiet tension leaving his eyes.
⸻
After a moment, he exhales.
⸻
Evan
...Understood.
⸻
Ren immediately narrows her eyes.
⸻
Ren
Don't "understood" me like I just gave a business report.
⸻
That earns the smallest shift in his expression—almost a smile.
But instead of stepping back, he simply covers her hand over his face with his own for a second, holding it there gently.
⸻
Evan
You should have said that earlier.
⸻
Ren huffs softly.
⸻
Ren
You didn't give me time. You went straight into suspicious mode.
⸻
A pause.
Then Evan lowers her hand slightly—but doesn't let go fully.
Just keeps it there, fingers loosely interlaced for a moment.
⸻
Evan
I won't assume next time.
⸻
Ren tilts her head.
⸻
Ren
You will still assume.
Just quieter.
⸻
That finally makes him exhale a quiet laugh through his nose.
⸻
And this time, when the staff walks past again—
Evan doesn't look at him anymore.
Not because he's ignoring it.
But because his attention has already settled back where it belongs.
Evan's expression barely changes.
Only barely.
To anyone else, he would look exactly the same.
Calm.
Collected.
Unreadable.
⸻
Ren studies him for a long moment.
Long enough that he notices.
⸻
He's good at hiding what he's thinking...
Too good.
⸻
Just as he begins to stand to put the folded towel away—
she catches his hand.
Not tightly.
Just enough to stop him.
⸻
He looks back at her.
⸻
Evan
...Ren?
⸻
She keeps holding onto him.
Her eyes stay on his face, as if she's trying to read the thoughts he never says aloud.
Then she speaks quietly.
⸻
Ren
I don't think I've ever made this clear before.
⸻
He sits back down without another word.
Giving her his full attention.
⸻
She draws a slow breath.
⸻
Ren
Before the first festival...
before I met you...
I was barely hanging on.
⸻
Her voice is steady.
Not because the memory is easy—
but because she's finally choosing to say it.
⸻
Ren
Every day felt like something I had to get through.
I didn't want to become attached to anyone.
I kept everyone at a distance because I thought... if I never really connected, it would be easier to let everything go one day.
⸻
She looks down at their joined hands.
Her thumb brushes lightly over his knuckles.
⸻
Ren
Then I met you.
⸻
A small laugh escapes her, almost disbelieving.
⸻
Ren
You were so... quietly persistent.
Always there.
Always making sure I'd eaten.
Always carrying something before I even realized it was heavy.
Always watching without making me feel watched.
⸻
She looks back into his eyes.
⸻
Ren
You made living in this world... not feel so bad anymore.
⸻
Her voice grows softer.
⸻
Ren
For the first time in my life...
I felt completely reassured.
Completely comfortable.
Safe.
⸻
A tear slips down her cheek before she notices it.
She doesn't wipe it away.
⸻
Ren
I've never actually said this to you.
But...
you mean more to me than I think you'll ever realize.
⸻
Evan doesn't interrupt.
Not once.
He simply listens.
⸻
Ren
I honestly don't think anyone else could have reached me the way you did.
Not because you're perfect.
But because...
you stayed.
Again and again.
Without asking me to become someone different first.
⸻
Another tear follows the first.
She lets out a quiet, shaky breath.
⸻
Ren
And...
I never want to hurt you.
Not intentionally.
Not by making you question where you stand with me.
⸻
For a long moment, the room is completely silent.
⸻
Evan reaches up slowly.
He brushes the tear from her cheek with the gentlest touch, as though afraid of disturbing the moment.
Then he cups her face lightly.
⸻
His own voice is quieter than usual.
⸻
Evan
Thank you...
for telling me.
⸻
He pauses, searching for words he doesn't often have to say aloud.
⸻
Evan
When I met you, I thought I was just trying to help someone through a difficult event.
I didn't know I was becoming part of your life.
⸻
His thumb rests gently against her cheek.
⸻
Evan
If I had known how much you were carrying back then...
I would have wished you hadn't carried it alone.
⸻
Ren's eyes glisten again.
⸻
He continues.
⸻
Evan
You don't have to protect me from every misunderstanding.
If something worries me...
I'll ask.
And if something worries you...
I want you to tell me.
We'll figure it out together.
⸻
He gives her hand a gentle squeeze.
⸻
Evan
You said you never want to hurt me.
⸻
A small, warm smile finally reaches his eyes.
⸻
Evan
Then keep doing exactly what you're doing now.
Talking to me.
That's enough.
⸻
Ren lets out a quiet laugh through her tears.
⸻
Ren
...I guess I underestimated how important communication is.
⸻
Evan
We both did.
⸻
She leans forward until her forehead rests lightly against his.
The room is silent again.
But this time, it isn't filled with uncertainty.
It's filled with something they had both been trying to say for a long time—and finally had.
The room stays quiet.
Not because neither of them has anything left to say—
but because, for once, words have finally caught up with everything they had been carrying.
⸻
Ren's forehead is still resting lightly against his.
Her eyes are closed now.
The tears have stopped.
Only the faint warmth left on her cheeks remains.
⸻
Evan doesn't move away.
He simply stays there, letting the silence settle instead of rushing to fill it.
⸻
After a while, he speaks softly.
⸻
Evan
Do you remember the first time we met?
⸻
Ren lets out a small laugh.
⸻
Ren
I remember thinking...
"Why is this man always around?"
⸻
He smiles.
A real one this time.
⸻
Evan
I thought...
"She never asks for help."
⸻
She opens one eye to look at him.
⸻
Ren
I was trying to look capable.
⸻
Evan
You did.
⸻
A pause.
⸻
Evan
But you also looked tired.
⸻
Her smile fades into something gentler.
⸻
Ren
You noticed.
⸻
Evan
Immediately.
⸻
She studies his face again.
This time, she isn't trying to guess what he's feels.
She can see it.
The softness around his eyes.
The relief that hadn't been there before.
⸻
She reaches up and smooths the collar of his shirt absentmindedly.
Not because it needs fixing.
Just because she likes having something to do with her hands while she's close to him.
⸻
Ren
I spent so long believing I had to survive everything by myself.
⸻
He covers her hand with his.
⸻
Evan
You don't.
⸻
She nods slowly.
⸻
Ren
I'm starting to believe that.
⸻
Another quiet moment passes.
Outside the hotel window, the city lights flicker on one by one.
Inside, neither of them pays much attention.
⸻
Evan lifts her hand to his lips and presses a gentle kiss across her knuckles.
A quiet gesture.
Almost old-fashioned.
⸻
Evan
You know...
I don't need grand gestures from you.
⸻
She tilts her head.
⸻
Ren
No?
⸻
He shakes his head.
⸻
Evan
Come home safely.
Tell me when something is bothering you.
Let me celebrate when you're happy.
Let me be there when you're exhausted.
⸻
His thumb brushes lightly across the back of her hand.
⸻
Evan
Those things are enough.
⸻
Ren feels her chest tighten again.
Not with sadness.
With warmth.
⸻
She smiles through another tiny laugh.
⸻
Ren
You make forever sound... strangely ordinary.
⸻
He meets her eyes.
⸻
Evan
I hope it is.
⸻
She blinks.
⸻
Ren
What do you mean?
⸻
He answers without hesitation.
⸻
Evan
I don't want our life to be built only on dramatic moments.
I want ordinary mornings.
Arguments that end with understanding.
Long drives where we don't have to talk.
Helping you pack after conventions.
Waiting for you outside your studio.
Knowing how you take your coffee without asking.
⸻
He smiles gently.
⸻
Evan
I want the days that people usually forget.
Because if I get enough of those with you...
I think that'll be a very good life.
⸻
Ren's eyes become glossy again.
She laughs softly.
⸻
Ren
You really know how to make me cry.
⸻
He chuckles under his breath.
⸻
Evan
I'm hoping you'll laugh more than cry.
⸻
She shifts closer until she's tucked comfortably against his side, resting her head on his shoulder.
⸻
Ren
Promise me something.
⸻
Evan
Anything I honestly can.
⸻
She smiles at that answer.
It sounds exactly like him.
⸻
Ren
When I start shutting people out again...
when I convince myself I have to carry everything alone...
don't let me disappear into myself.
Come find me.
Even if I tell you I'm fine.
⸻
He wraps an arm around her shoulders, holding her with quiet certainty.
⸻
Evan
I will.
⸻
A beat.
⸻
Evan
And you promise me something too.
⸻
She looks up.
⸻
Ren
What?
⸻
He gently tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
⸻
Evan
Keep choosing to stay.
With me.
With your friends.
With this life you've built.
One day at a time.
⸻
Ren doesn't answer immediately.
Instead, she slips her fingers between his and gives his hand a gentle squeeze.
Then she nods.
⸻
Ren
One day at a time.
⸻
The room falls silent once more.
Not empty.
Not uncertain.
Just peaceful.
For the first time in a long while, neither of them feels the need to chase the next moment.
They simply sit together, watching the evening settle over the city, content that—for now—being together is enough.
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen3h.Co