The air in Arian's room was still.
Too still.
He sat at the edge of his bed, phone in hand, thumb hovering over the screen. No notifications. No new messages. Just the last one he sent.
Arian [9:04 PM]:
Let me know when you're free tomorrow.
Read? No. Delivered? Barely.
He stared for a moment longer, then sighed and set the phone aside.
In the corner, a dusty Bluetooth speaker sat quietly. Arian hesitated before tapping it on. Soft instrumental music spilled into the room — familiar, slow, a melody he'd hummed quietly so many times before.
He used to sing along.
But not anymore.
No one really knew about his music. Not even Damon.
It had always been something he kept hidden — too private, too soft.
Something only Jude had caught onto when he once overheard Arian humming backstage in the theater wing.
And Leon… maybe once, in passing, through the walls.
But Arian never talked about it. Never shared.
It was the one part of him that still felt safe.
---
By the time he reached campus, the sun had risen, but Arian's heart still felt gray.
Ashcroft University buzzed with life. Students laughed over coffee, couples leaned into each other, music played through shared earphones. Everyone belonged somewhere.
Except Arian.
His hoodie was old, sleeves a bit frayed. His bag was plain. His steps quiet. His silence loud.
Some people whispered.
"Isn't he that poetry guy?"
"He's kinda cute but like… probably broke?"
"Scholarship kid. Keeps to himself. Totally tragic."
They didn't know the truth — that he lived in a private mansion far outside the city, tucked inside a house with a man the entire university knew as Leon Kael.
But no one knew they were connected.
And neither of them ever said a word about it.
---
"You look like death warmed over."
Jude Elriv fell into step beside Arian, sipping a chocolate smoothie, hair a wild mess of curls.
"I feel like it," Arian mumbled.
"You eat today?"
"No."
Jude passed him a granola bar without even asking. "Still no text from Loverboy?"
Arian's lips twitched into a sad smile. "He's just busy."
Jude gave him a look. "You said that yesterday."
"And the day before," Arian admitted quietly.
"Right. And what do we call that?"
"A pattern," Arian said with a sigh.
---
Later in class, Damon finally walked in. Late. Smiling.
His hair was still wet from a quick shower. His hoodie smelled like vanilla body spray and faint cologne. He dropped into the seat beside Arian like nothing was wrong.
"Hey," he said casually, glancing at the clock.
"Hey," Arian replied softly.
Damon didn't ask how he was. Didn't apologize for vanishing the day before.
He just scrolled his phone.
"You coming for lunch later?" Arian asked quietly.
Damon didn't look up. "Can't. Trina and I have psych lab."
"Oh," Arian said, voice barely above a whisper.
"I'll text you," Damon added.
He didn't.
---
Back at home, the silence of the Kael estate was deeper than usual.
Mrs. Whitlock left dinner out for him — still warm. But Arian just picked at the rice and stared at the window. Soft instrumental music played from his phone again. Something quiet. Something sad.
He mouthed the lyrics, not loud enough for anyone to hear.
Or so he thought.
---
Upstairs, Leon Kael stood in the hallway, motionless.
He hadn't meant to stop. He never did. He told himself he didn't care.
But from the shadows, he watched Arian sitting alone in the giant kitchen — shoulders curled forward, soft music playing, untouched plate of food in front of him.
He watched how Arian stared out the window. How his lips moved just barely, like he was singing to no one.
Leon said nothing.
He walked away like he always did.
---
Later that evening, they crossed paths on the staircase.
Arian stepped aside first.
Leon didn't move right away. He just stared at him — cold, unreadable.
Arian raised his eyes. "Do you always watch me from the shadows?"
Leon's voice was sharp. "Do you always wait for people who don't want you?"
Arian flinched. "It's not like that."
Leon didn't blink. "It is."
"You wouldn't understand," Arian said, voice shaking. "You've never waited for anyone in your life."
Leon's tone was flat. "That's because I don't waste time on people who can't even look me in the eye."
Arian stepped past him. "I'm not the one avoiding."
Leon didn't respond.
And just like always — they walked away without looking back.
Strangers in a shared house.
Strangers with a shared past.