Kalix pulled up in front of her house.
Before he could even reach for the door handle to get out—
Elena was already out.
Quick. Detached. Like she couldn't wait to get away from the night.
She closed the car door softly, not even glancing back.
"Thank you… for today," she said.
Then she walked off—shoulders stiff, pace steady—but he could see it.
The tremble in her hands.
The way her key fumbled slightly at the door.
The way she disappeared inside without looking back, like she had to shut the world out before it saw too much of her.
He sat there.
Staring at the door she went through.
Everything in him screamed to follow, to make sure she was okay, to tell her she didn't have to pretend right now—
But he didn't move.
He knew better.
She needed space.
She needed control.
And tonight, the only thing she could control… was pushing him away.
So he let her.
But his hands didn't leave the wheel.
His heart didn't settle.
Something inside him twisted, deep and sharp—
The image of her crouched behind that car still haunted him.
She was strong. He knew that.
But strength doesn't mean someone shouldn't be protected.
So he did the only thing he could.
He parked the car a little further down the street.
Turned off the engine.
And waited.
The whole night.
Eyes on the house.
Just in case.
In case the fear came back.
In case she needed someone—even if she never said it out loud.
She wouldn't know he stayed.
But that didn't matter.
Because love… the real kind… isn't always loud.
Sometimes, it's just someone sitting in the dark,
guarding your silence—
when the world feels too heavy to carry alone.