Chapter 62: Unspoken moments

Kael spent the rest of the day in his study, buried in work as usual, but something felt different. The lingering scent of Esme's cooking still filled the air, and the memory of her bringing him breakfast stayed with him longer than he expected.

She had never done something like that before.

Not that he needed to be taken care of—he was perfectly capable of handling himself—but the way Esme had insisted, the way she had looked at him, her eyes holding something unreadable… it stuck with him.

It wasn't pity. No, he knew what pity looked like, and Esme didn't pity him. It was something else.

Something unsettling.

By the time the evening rolled around, Kael found himself wondering where she had gone. He hadn't seen much of her since breakfast. Normally, she would find some way to get under his skin, whether intentionally or not, but today, she had been… quiet.

Too quiet.

The thought nagged at him as he made his way toward the living room, stopping just before he entered. Esme was there, curled up on the couch, staring at nothing in particular. She looked lost in thought, her fingers playing idly with the hem of her dress.

For some reason, he hesitated.

Something about the way she sat there, so still, so… small, made his chest feel tight.

Pushing the feeling aside, he walked in.

"You've been avoiding me," he stated, sitting on the opposite end of the couch.

Esme barely blinked. "No, I haven't."

Kael scoffed. "You disappeared after breakfast. Didn't even annoy me all day. That's unusual."

She let out a breath, but she still didn't look at him. "Maybe I just needed space."

Kael frowned slightly. He didn't like this—her being so distant. It was unlike her.

And it annoyed him more than he wanted to admit.

Silence stretched between them for a long moment before Esme finally turned her head, meeting his gaze. There was something in her eyes… something questioning.

"What is it?" he asked, leaning forward slightly.

She hesitated, then quietly asked, "Do you remember last night?"

Kael stilled.

His mind flashed back to the foggy memories of the previous night—the drinking, the exhaustion, Esme helping him undress…

And then—

His lips on hers.

Kael's jaw tightened slightly. No, he hadn't remembered it until now. The memory was blurry, hazy, but it was there.

He had kissed her.

And from the look in Esme's eyes, she had been waiting for him to say something.

Kael leaned back, his expression unreadable. "Not much," he admitted. "Why?"

Esme's face fell, her expression shifting instantly.

And just like that, the warmth between them disappeared.

She turned away from him, staring at the floor. "No reason."

Kael frowned. "Esme—"

But she didn't say anything else. She just pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them, her mood visibly dampened.

Kael watched her for a moment, confused.

What had he done?

What had he forgotten?

He hated not knowing.

And more than that—he hated the way she suddenly felt so far away.

Kael sat there, watching Esme with a mixture of curiosity and growing frustration. He had no idea what was going on in her head. The tension between them was palpable now, and it unsettled him more than he was willing to admit.

After a few more moments of silence, Kael shifted, trying to break the stillness. "Esme, you're being weird. What's with the sudden shift?"

Her head remained down, her hair spilling around her face, hiding the expression that Kael was desperate to read. He didn't like this. He didn't like how she was withdrawing. He couldn't figure out what had happened between this morning and now, but something had definitely changed.

"I'm not being weird," Esme muttered, her voice quieter than usual. She hadn't even looked up yet, and Kael's patience was quickly waning.

"You're hiding something. I can see it in your eyes." His voice was low, barely a whisper, but there was an edge to it, a quiet intensity. "What did I do wrong?"

At the sound of his voice, Esme's body stiffened, her hands gripping her knees a little tighter. For a brief moment, Kael thought she might say something, but instead, she shook her head slowly, as if whatever had happened was something she was keeping locked inside.

"Esme…" He let her name fall from his lips with a trace of urgency. "Don't shut me out."

She turned to him, her eyes filled with a strange mixture of hurt and resignation. "I'm not shutting you out, Kael. You just don't remember."

Her words hit him like a cold wave, and for the first time in what felt like ages, he was speechless.

"What do you mean I don't remember?" he asked, his voice almost unrecognizable, thick with confusion.

Esme's lips quivered, but she didn't speak. She simply stared at him, her eyes softening just a fraction. Then, without a word, she stood up from the couch and walked to the window. Her back was turned to him, but he could feel her pulling away, even though she hadn't physically moved very far.

Kael couldn't stop himself from following her gaze, but it wasn't the view that caught his attention—it was the way she stood, her shoulders tense, as though the weight of something heavy had fallen on her.

"Esme," Kael tried again, more gently this time, his voice softening, "Please, just tell me."

For a long moment, she didn't respond, and Kael felt the knot in his chest tighten. He didn't like feeling powerless in this situation, not when Esme was so closed off.

Then, as if the words had been fighting to come out for too long, Esme spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "You kissed me last night."

Kael's heart skipped a beat

He was still piecing together the fragments of memory, trying to latch onto something concrete, but it felt like a blur. He had been drunk, tired… but that didn't mean he hadn't kissed her.

"Yeah," she said, her tone flat but still tinged with that underlying hurt. "You kissed me. And now, you don't even remember."

Kael's chest tightened. He could see the way her back had stiffened, the way her hands fisted at her sides. He didn't like it. He didn't like the silence hanging between them, the distance it created. He had no idea how to fix it, no idea how to make things right.

"I didn't mean to…" Kael began, but his voice faltered, unsure of what to say next.

Esme didn't turn around. She stayed at the window, her posture small but resolute. "You didn't do anything, Kael. You don't remember, and that's fine. But I…" Her voice trailed off, her words unspoken.

"You what?" Kael stepped closer to her, now standing behind her, only a few feet away. "What are you trying to say?"

"I don't know," she whispered, the words almost lost in the air. "I don't know what I expected, but I guess I was hoping for something different. Something more than what you're offering. But you don't remember."

The finality in her words stung more than Kael could have anticipated.

"I'm sorry," he said, his voice low, filled with something deeper than regret. "I didn't mean to make you feel like this." This girl was actually making him apologize, sorry wasn't his usual word

Esme didn't respond right away, her gaze fixed on the outside world as if trying to avoid the moment that was unfolding between them. After a long silence, she finally spoke, her voice soft but firm. "Maybe you should go to sleep. I think it's better that way."

Kael's heart sank. It felt like everything had just slipped through his fingers. She was shutting him out again, retreating behind those walls he could never seem to break down.

He wanted to reach out, to grab her, to pull her back into the warmth between them, but something in her expression told him that wasn't what she needed.

So, he stood there, still, silent. Watching her from a distance, wondering how things had gotten so complicated.

"Esme…" Kael said her name softly, almost like a plea. But she didn't answer. She just turned her head slightly, and for a moment, their eyes met—just a flicker of recognition.

But even that didn't seem to be enough.

****. ****. ****.