He took a seat across from her and reached for his fork. "It’s not exactly gourmet," he said, half-smirking, "but it’s edible. I think."

She gave a little smile. "Looks good enough."

They started digging in.

The silence wasn’t weird this time, just chill. A peace neither of them had felt in a while.

After a moment, Zayden said, "So... you’re really good at slipping away."

She fumbled with her fork a bit, surprised.

He kept his eyes on his plate. "You move like someone who’s always watching their back. Like you’re always thinking a few steps ahead."

She swallowed her food. "You sure pay attention."

He chuckled. "Comes with the territory."

A small laugh escaped her before she could hold it back.

"That’s the first laugh I’ve heard from you," he said quietly.

She looked down at her food. "Probably because I don’t have much to laugh about lately."

He chose not to push it. "Well... It’s nice to know I’m not totally useless."

She met his gaze, a bit shocked. "You’re not useless."

He blinked, not expecting that reply. "Good to know."

They ate quietly for a few moments before she asked, "So, how long have you been living in this cabin?"

"On and off," he said. "Sometimes it’s a few weeks, sometimes a couple of months. It really just depends on when I need to get away from people."

"You disappear too?" she asked, not meaning to let that slip out.

He glanced up at her. "Everyone’s got a past."

She didn’t say anything.

They both knew how heavy that statement was.

He took another bite, then switched topics and asked, "You into spicy food?"

Her eyebrows shot up at the sudden change. "Uh... yeah. Why?"

"Awesome. Because I might have gone a little overboard with the pepper in this."

She stifled a laugh, covering her mouth. "I figured something was burning up!"

He squinted at her playfully. "Say that again."

"It was burning," she teased.

"I’ll hold back on the pepper tomorrow."

Her smile faded a bit. Would she even be around by then?

No. Not if she really wanted to keep him safe. She forced her voice to stay calm. "Okay."

"Good," he said simply, and they returned to their meal, the gentle crackle of the fire in the background.

Dinner went by like that, just a bunch of light comments, little jokes here and there, and quick glances, nothing too deep or emotional, nothing really shared. Just two people trying to catch their breath.

When they finished eating, Zayden got up to grab the plates, but she was quicker.

"I’ll help out," she said.

"You really don’t have to." He replied.

"I want to." She insisted.

He paused for a sec, looking at her. Then he stepped to the side.

They tackled the dishes together at the small sink; she washed while he dried. Their shoulders brushed together once, and both acted like it didn’t matter.

Zayden finally broke the quiet. "You’re pretty quiet tonight."

"Yeah, so are you." She shot back.

Water dripped down her wrists, warm and comforting. For a quick moment, she pictured a different scene, one where she wasn’t being chased, one where she wasn’t lying about everything, one where she wasn’t planning to ditch in just a few hours.

He tossed her a towel. "You did well."

"Washing a plate? Really?" she shot back with a grin.

"No, the fact that you didn’t drop it," he replied with a straight face.

She rolled her eyes. "I’m not clumsy."

"You nearly went down in the woods."

"That was a root..."

"And remember when you tripped on the doormat just now..."

"That was...."

"And you smacked your head on the cabinet the other day..."

"ZAYDEN," she snapped, her cheeks burning.

He smirked back at her. "Just saying."

She took a breath, shook her head, and turned off the faucet.

The dishes were done, and the kitchen was all cleaned up. The night felt heavy, and her heartbeat seemed louder than usual.

Zayden stretched his arms a bit. "You should really get some rest."

"Yeah," she whispered. "I will."

But they both noticed the change. There was an unspoken tension in the air. Not a goodbye. Not a confession. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Just a quiet storm building inside her.....because tonight, she knew she’d break this uneasy peace and disappear into the dark while he slept just a few feet away.

She walked into the room, the soft bed inviting her as she lay down and pulled the blanket up to her chin. It felt comforting against her skin, and she closed her eyes, trying to escape reality for a bit.

Just pretending. Breathing slowly. In and out.

She could hear him checking the locks, turning off the lights, getting the cabin all ready for a good night’s sleep. He was making it safe for her, something she felt she didn’t really deserve.

When he finally lay down in his bed across the hall, the whole cabin was swallowed by darkness.

The air was dead quiet. His breathing was slow... deep... steady.

He was definitely out cold. At least, that’s what she hoped. Her chest felt tight. She opened her eyes.

What she didn’t realize was that he was already fast asleep. He hadn’t gotten much rest the night before, and tonight, tiredness had hit him pretty early. Maybe it was her presence that made him feel at ease.

The room stayed silent, lit only by the last flickers of the dying fire in the fireplace, casting soft shadows.

At that moment, she sat up, trying hard not to disturb the blankets.

Her heart was racing so fast; she thought for sure he’d hear it.

She quietly got up, tiptoeing across the old wooden floor, hoping it wouldn’t creak.

Her shoes were by the door, and the jacket, warm and a little oversized, that Zayden had given her to wear hung on a hook.

Every second felt like it dragged on forever. She slipped on her shoes, put on the jacket that still carried his scent, and opened the door slowly.