Anax by Ouliel Keren

Author:Ouliel, Keren
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-11-07T00:00:00+00:00

It’s close to midnight when Naya closes the door to her flat behind her. She tries to be as quiet as possible and is semi-grateful that her flatmates seemingly decided to call it a night earlier than usual. The guilt, however, settles as if the weight of a small iron ball is in her stomach, making her sick with apprehension. The thought of hurting her two best friends makes her pause in her bedroom, and the decision to tackle the problem at that very moment happens subconsciously as her legs carry her to Lucas’s bedroom.

Logan will be easier to convince, so she settles on leaving him for tomorrow.

Knocking is irrelevant since Lucas usually makes it perfectly clear if he doesn’t wish to be disturbed, so she pushes the door open and steps inside, but not before discarding her coat and scarf at the entrance.

She knows the layout of his room almost as well as the rest of the flat. It’s more spacious than her own, and since Lucas is extremely tidy—a fact she always knew yet still surprised her when they first moved in together—she does not encounter any obstacles on the way to his bed. Like her, his bed is shoved against one of the walls, although he opted for the one away from the window. He has a closet and a dresser right across from it, with a second-hand armchair near the window since they didn’t have space in the living room.

At first, Naya doesn’t move, and she catches her breath when she realises she has no idea what she should say or if she should even wake him up.

“Nay…?” Lucas’s voice comes out as a muffled whisper, probably because of the sheets.

She hums a reply and then moves across the room to stand by his bed. She has done the same thing so often that it has become routine. She always comes to seek him or Logan out when one is troubled.

He reaches out for her hand, hissing slightly at its coldness. “What the hell happened?” His voice is still laced with sleep, but he’s starting to come to.

Her guilt resurfaces as the only thing he can think of is her safety.

“I’m sorry,” she says quickly before the courage to try and approach the subject fails her. It makes her visibly cringe because she hates how much she struggles with words sometimes.

Lucas doesn’t say anything for the longest time, and just when she’s about to turn tail and run, he tugs on the hand he’s still holding and pulls her onto his bed. It’s part of their ritual, and she takes it as a silent peace offering. He tucks her in by his side, wrapping his arms around and holding her.

Even after ten minutes, she can tell by his breathing that he is not asleep. She knows he’s waiting, and while she would love to push this evening into her things I don’t want to think about folder at the back of her mind, she also recognises the need to let him in.

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