-Kyle Vale:
Caspian's apology doesn't land the way I expect it to.
It isn't loud enough to fill the room. It doesn't demand attention. It doesn't try to justify itself or soften anything.
It just exists.
Quiet.
Carefully placed between us like he's not entirely sure it belongs there, but he's saying it anyway.
"…I'm sorry."
I stay still for a second longer than I probably should.
My eyes don't leave him.
Not because I'm upset.
Not because I'm angry.
But because I'm trying to understand what part of him just made that choice.
Caspian doesn't apologize easily. Not like that. Not for something as simple as timing. And definitely not without meaning it in a way that goes deeper than the surface.
So something about this already feels heavier than the words themselves.
I shift slightly where I'm sitting beside him on the bed, my hands resting loosely on my thighs, but my focus stays locked on him.
"For what?" I ask, softer than I intend.
There's no pressure in my voice.
