The lights were off.
Only the hallway lamp spilled a dull glow across the floor where they sat, legs tangled in blankets and silence.
Aurenya had finally fallen asleep in the other room. Her breath was steady, her body still. Rin had stayed by her side until she was sure she wouldn’t wake again, then slipped out quietly.
Now she was here.
With Mika.
And Suzu.
All three of them sitting on the floor, backs against the couch, like they used to do when the world felt lighter.
Except it didn’t feel light now.
Suzu was the first to speak.
“That was… a lot.”
She tugged at the sleeve of her hoodie. Her voice was low and uneven.
“I mean, I knew she was weird. But, like… not fanged-and-glowing weird.”
She tried to smile at her own joke, but it didn’t hold.
“I’m not mad. I just… I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.”
Rin hugged her knees to her chest.
She hadn’t said anything since closing Aurenya’s door. Her hands were still trembling — just slightly — where they rested against her legs.
“She didn’t ask for any of it,” she said softly. “None of this is her fault.”
“I know,” Suzu said gently. “We know.”
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Mika’s voice came next, and it was quieter than they expected.
“But she lied.”
Rin:
“She didn’t. Not really. She just… didn’t know how to tell us.”
Mika:
“You knew. Since that night in the alley.”
Rin:
“Yes.”
A longer pause.
“I saw her in her real form. She saved me. There was a man—he tried to hurt me. She killed him. She drank his blood. I watched it happen.”
Neither Mika nor Suzu interrupted.
Rin continued.
“I should’ve been afraid. But I wasn’t. Not really. I think… I already knew there was something different about her. And I think I was already falling for her.”
The air went still.
Even Suzu didn’t move.
“You love her?” Mika asked.
Rin looked down at her hands.
“I don’t know what I feel. It’s more than a crush. More than infatuation. I care about her. I trust her. I’m afraid of what that means.”
She looked up, eyes glossy but steady.
“But I’m not afraid of her.”
Mika leaned her head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.
“You should’ve told me. Us.”
“I know.”
“I’m not angry. I’m just…”
She shook her head.
“I’ve never felt this far behind before. Like I’m the last one to know what’s happening in my own life.”
Suzu reached out and took her hand.
Mika didn’t pull away.
Suzu exhaled. Her voice softened.
“She saved Rin. She didn’t hurt anyone else. She’s trying.”
Then a pause.
“And honestly? I kinda like her.”
Both Rin and Mika turned to her.
“Not like that,” Suzu said, laughing awkwardly. “I mean, like… she’s got this sad, noble, tortured-soul vibe. But she’s also kinda funny without meaning to be. And she’s gentle. Like, weirdly gentle for someone with claws.”
She looked at Rin.
“She likes you. Like, really likes you.”
“I know,” Rin whispered.
The silence returned — softer this time. Not empty, but full.
Of what had been said.
Of what hadn’t.
Of what came next.
“So,” Suzu said, yawning. “Do we swear to stick together, even if she sprouts wings and bursts into flame next?”
“Definitely,” Mika said, without hesitation.
“Always,” Rin replied.
And for a long time after that, they didn’t say anything else.
Just three girls on the floor in the middle of the night, held together by truth, fear, and love.
Thank you for reading this chapter of What We Don't Say.If something in it stayed with you — a moment, a line, or even just the mood — I’d love to hear what.
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