The silence between them lasted longer than either expected.
After the confrontation in the kitchen the night before—where truth, fear, and longing collided like tidal waves—Ayla had retreated into her room, leaving Marcus alone with his own spiraling thoughts.
Morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting soft gold over her face, but Ayla barely felt it. She had been awake long before dawn. Her mind kept replaying Marcus's expression when she told him she couldn't afford to fall apart again… not for someone she wasn't sure she could keep.
Because loving him felt like trying to hold onto a storm with her bare hands.
A gentle knock sounded.
"Ayla? It's me."
Of course it was him.
She drew a breath. "Come in."
Marcus stepped inside, looking more tired than she had ever seen him. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his hair slightly messy, and his usually steady gaze held a heaviness that made her chest tighten.
"You didn't sleep," he said quietly.
"I could say the same for you."
Marcus exhaled, a mixture of frustration and tenderness. "Ayla… I don't want us like this. Avoiding each other. Walking around like we're afraid to breathe."
She swallowed. "I'm not avoiding you. I'm just… thinking."
"That's exactly what scares me," Marcus murmured. "Because every time you start thinking too much, you pull away."
Her heart dipped.
He stepped closer, stopping just inches from her.
"I know I'm older. I know I come with baggage. I know you think loving me is risky. But Ayla… losing you would break me in ways I can't even explain."
Her throat tightened at the rawness in his voice.
"I'm not trying to leave you, Marcus," she whispered. "But I need to understand what we are. What we're becoming. Everything feels so big, so fast. You make me feel… things I've never felt before. And that scares me more than anything."
Marcus gently lifted her chin so she would look at him.
"You think I'm not scared too?"
Ayla blinked. "You? Marcus, you're the calmest person I know."
He gave a soft humorless laugh.
"I'm calm on the outside. Inside? You terrify me. Because you're young, brilliant, full of life. And I keep wondering if one day you'll wake up and realize I'm too old, too complicated, too… damaged."
Her chest ached. She had no idea he carried that fear.
"Marcus," she whispered, "I chose you. Don't you understand that? I chose you, not conveniently, not accidentally. I chose you because you make me feel safe, wanted… seen."
His eyes softened.
"And I choose you, Ayla. Every day. But if you need time, I'll give it. If you need reassurance, I'll give that too."
She leaned into his touch, eyes brushing closed.
"I don't want space," she said. "I just want clarity."
He cupped her cheek gently.
"Then let's find it together."
For the first time since yesterday, their breaths seemed to fall into the same rhythm. She melted into his arms, letting the warmth of him soothe the storm inside her.
But even as they held each other, Ayla felt that something bigger—something unresolved—was waiting for them just beyond the moment.
A truth neither of them had spoken yet.
A truth she feared might change everything.