Chapter 91: The Distance Between Us
Naomi lay quietly on her bed, the soft hum of her phone the only sound in the room. She had been playing a puzzle game for what felt like hours now, the gentle tapping of her fingers offering her a welcome distraction. The pieces clicked together in a satisfying rhythm, as if each one fitting perfectly was a small victory against the chaos in her mind.
She had always been good at puzzles. Maybe it was the sense of control, the simplicity of it, that appealed to her. Life was rarely so clear-cut, rarely so easy to piece together. At least with this game, she could find solace in the quiet certainty of order. If she couldn’t solve the puzzle of her thoughts, at least she could solve this one. For now, that was enough.
The cool, calming glow of her phone screen seemed to wash over her as the puzzle neared completion, and her mind, for once, felt at peace. Naomi hadn’t realized how much she needed this escape. As the last piece clicked into place, a sense of achievement swept over her. The weight of unanswered questions, of thoughts she couldn’t voice, faded into the background for just a moment. She closed her eyes for a brief second, basking in the relief of the quiet stillness.
But the calm didn’t last long.
Unbeknownst to her, the door to her room creaked open, the soft sound barely cutting through the silence of the room. Zylan entered quietly, as he always did. His tall frame loomed in the doorway, and his gaze immediately fell on Naomi, who was completely engrossed in her phone. The faint light from the screen illuminated her face, casting soft shadows that made her look distant, almost ethereal. She was so focused, so absorbed in the game, that she didn’t even notice him standing there.
Curiosity stirred within him. He had never seen Naomi so absorbed in anything before. It was like she was in a world of her own, her attention captured by something so trivial, yet so important to her in that moment. Slowly, he moved toward the bed, taking a seat beside her. Naomi, sensing his presence, shifted slightly but didn’t look up. She continued tapping away at her phone, her expression unreadable.
Zylan leaned in a little closer, his eyes studying her closely. What could have caught her attention so completely? He couldn’t help but wonder what she was thinking. Why had she retreated into herself like this? Was it him? Something else? He was frustrated by the distance between them, the silence that seemed to grow with every passing seconds
Without a word, he reached out, his fingers lightly covering her eyes, hoping to tease her into breaking her focus. Naomi didn’t flinch. Her eyes remained fixed on the screen, her fingers still moving in a rhythmic pattern as she solved the puzzle, completely oblivious to his touch. A faint frown crossed her face, but it wasn’t directed at him—it was the focused frown of someone intent on finishing a task.
For a long moment, Zylan sat there, his hand still resting over her eyes. The tension in his chest tightened, and something inside him stirred—something he couldn’t name. He hated seeing her like this, so distant, so closed off.