When Silence Burns

Hassan hadn't told Steph he was leaving yet.

The letter from his father's lawyer sat in his backpack, unsigned, with college admissions, housing papers, and an invitation to a life he never imagined. He told himself he was thinking it through, weighing his options. But the truth was simpler.

He couldn't bear to look Steph in the eyes and say goodbye.

It was after closing time, the restaurant dark except for the warm kitchen light. Steph had come in unexpectedly to help with inventory, claiming she couldn't sleep.

Neither could he.

She found him sitting on the floor of the pantry, elbows on his knees, lost in thought.

"You look like you're waiting for the end of the world," she said softly.

He looked up at her. "Maybe I am."

Steph slid down beside him, close enough for their shoulders to brush. She smelled like vanilla and cinnamon. It made him dizzy.

"You've been distant," she said, not accusing just honest.

"I've been thinking."

"About what?"

"My father."

Steph stiffened slightly.

"He wants me to come live with him. Go to college. He says he owes me at least that much."

Steph's throat tightened. "Are you going?"

"I don't know. I want to say no. But Jeremy can't afford to send me anywhere decent. And I can't keep pretending I don't want more."

She nodded slowly. "You deserve more. You've worked for it."

There was silence. Then she whispered, "But I don't want you to go."

He turned toward her, his face caught between guilt and need. "I don't want to leave you."

The moment stretched too long, too full.

Then Steph leaned in.

It wasn't a kiss born of confusion this time. It was honest. Heavy. Her fingers trembled as she brushed them against his jaw, her lips soft but certain.

Hassan hesitated for only a second before he kissed her back deeply, hungrily, like he'd been holding his breath for years.

They ended up in Jeremy's small office, the couch barely big enough for both of them. The air was thick, charged with everything they'd never said.

Hassan's hands were gentle but eager, trailing the line of her waist, the dip of her spine. Steph gasped softly as his mouth found her neck. She clung to him like she might fall apart.

"Are you sure?" he whispered against her skin.

"Yes," she breathed. "I want this. I want you."

He kissed her like it was a prayer.

Their bodies moved slowly, exploring, learning. There was no rush only quiet gasps, tangled fingers, hearts pounding beneath skin. It was clumsy in places, uncertain, but filled with so much feeling it made Steph's eyes blur.

They didn't speak much only touched, held, worshipped.

And when it was over, when they lay curled together in the hush of the empty restaurant, Steph tucked her head under his chin and whispered, "Don't leave tomorrow."

Hassan's arms tightened around her. "I wasn't going to. Not until I said goodbye properly."

Steph closed her eyes. She didn't want to think about goodbyes.

Only about the way he looked at her like she was home.

But the morning would come fast. And goodbyes, no matter how delayed, always found a way.