Kane took the glass of water from her with a small, grateful nod, settling into the chair across from her. He gave a quiet smile at her laughter, the soft light of the living room making her look smaller, warmer, more approachable than heâd expected. âThanks,â he murmured, voice low but steady. âI get the quiet. I like it too sometimes. Makes it easier to think without everything rushing at you.â He paused, letting the words hang for a moment, watching her gestures, the way she spoke about her cats, the little life sheâd built around them. He leaned back slightly, fingers brushing against the edge of his chair as he considered how much to say. âIâm Kane,â he finally said, letting a faint smirk curl at the edge of his lips. âI tend to keep things short. Facts, mostly. Not much room for extra details.â He looked down at the glass in his hands, twisting it lightly before meeting her eyes again. âIâve been a bit of a loner for most of my life,â he admitted, voice low, honest, but not heavy. âI can count my friends on one finger and sometimes it feels like thatâs even too many.â He shrugged lightly, a small, almost embarrassed gesture. âNot that it matters. She's not always in the city anyway.â He shifted just slightly, letting the silence settle between them, but not awkwardly, calmly. âI donât have family around here anymore,â he said quietly, voice low but steady. âLife got dark a couple of years back. I lost a lot of people that meant a lot to me.â He paused for a moment, as if weighing how much to reveal, then let out a quiet breath. âIâm still kind of trying to piece myself back together,â he admitted, eyes tracing some invisible point on the floor before returning to her. There was no bitterness in his tone, just honesty, and something careful, fragile, in the way he phrased it. "Most nights it's just me figuring things out, one day at a time.â
she should be more nervous than she was, maybe she should follow the rules that people who lived in the appalachia mountains did, after dark close the blinds, if you heard your name, you didnât, if you heard a noise ignore it. but if she was honest, she was too curious for that, she wouldâve heard her name and answered back, the same way she saw kane outside and let him in. "quiet is nice at times, but i feel like my head gets too loud when iâm alone for too long," she chuckled, "i like mixing alone time with group time⌠i donât know," she laughed at herself for not making much sense. as he explained how he was alone, how he couldnât really consider anyone a friend most of the time, she sighed, her eyebrows furrowing slightly with concern. "iâm sorry you feel alone," she said softly, "but i guess you can count a friend and a half," she added, looking up at him, her light eyes meeting his. after all, he was there late at night talking to her, thatâs what friends did, right? she let out a small breath. "iâm guessing youâre a night owl, after our last encounter and this one," she chuckled, trying to keep the conversation flowing before silence settled in. she took a sip from her glass, glancing away for a moment before meeting his eyes again. "have you been in town long? i donât think iâve ever seen you around," she asked softly, "i think i would remember your face."









