Xavier stood after a while after Arlen turned away from him, staring at the back of her head like the answer to whatever he'd missed might suddenly appear there. Nothing did. The silence stretched, and eventually he exhaled, rolled his shoulders once, and forced the tightness out of his chest.
He didn't try to wake her.
He didn't walk over and apologize.
He didn't crawl into bed and pretend everything was fine.
Instead, he turned and walked toward the balcony.
The sliding door opened with a soft mechanical hiss as he stepped outside, the night air hitting him immediately, cooler than the room, the city stretching endlessly below. Helior Prime still glowed despite the lockdown, traffic rerouted, lights moving in distant lines while drones drifted across the sky in silent patrol patterns.
Behind him, Arlen's eyes snapped open.
