CHAPTER FOUR
The Things He Almost Said and Never Took Back
Rowan was known for one thing above all else he retreated when feelings demanded answers.
Elira was learning this slowly, painfully, one unfinished moment at a time.
The stairwell felt colder after he left.
Elira stood there long after Rowan's footsteps faded, her hand still hovering near the railing like she had forgotten what it was meant to do.
Her heart beat faster than it should have, loud enough to feel intrusive in the quiet.
I don't want to keep pretending
The words echoed in her head without an ending. Suspended. Incomplete.
Like he had left a sentence hanging in the air and walked away from it.
Mira found her ten minutes later.
"Elira?" Mira called softly, peeking into the stairwell. "I've been looking everywhere."
Elira turned slowly. "Sorry. I needed air."
Mira studied her face with the kind of attention Elira usually gave other people. "You look like someone just said something that can't be unsaid."
Elira swallowed. "Something like that."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head gently. "Not yet."
Mira nodded, respecting the boundary. "Okay. But I'm here."
"I know," Elira said quietly.
The rest of the day passed in fragments.
Rowan didn't come back to her desk.
He didn't pass by the break room.
He didn't look for her.
Elira noticed every absence.
She tried to focus on edits, on deadlines, on the rhythm of work but her attention slipped again and again. She packed her bag slowly when the office began to empty, hoping without admitting it that Rowan might appear, that he might finish what he started.
He didn't.
Outside, the evening air was cool. Elira walked home instead of taking the bus, her thoughts louder than the city around her.
That night, her phone stayed silent.
She checked it anyway.
Once.
Twice.
Too many times to count.
Sleep came late and left early.
The next morning, Rowan arrived before anyone else.
He sat at his desk staring at his screen, cursor blinking at the top of a blank page. He hadn't slept much either. The weight of yesterday pressed against his chest, heavy and unwelcome.
He had crossed a lineb or nearly crossed one and the fear of what came after scared him more than the silence ever had.
When Elira walked in, he felt it before he saw her.
She moved with the same calm grace as always, but something about her felt guarded now, like a door gently closed. She didn't look at him.
Rowan stood.
"Elira," he said quietly.
She paused, then turned. "Yes?"
Her tone was polite. Controlled.
"I owe you an apology," he said.
She waited.
"For yesterday," he continued. "I shouldn't have said something and then walked away."
"You didn't walk away," she said softly. "You retreated."
The word landed with precision.
He nodded. "You're right."
Silence stretched between them.
"I didn't mean to confuse you," he added.
Elira's voice stayed steady. "I wasn't confused."
That surprised him. "You weren't?"
"No," she said. "You were honest. And then you were afraid."
His jaw tightened. "That's not fair."
"It's not unfair either," she replied gently. "You don't have to explain yourself, Rowan. But please don't pretend nothing happened."
He looked at her then really looked and saw the quiet strength beneath her patience.
"I can't give you clarity," he said. "Not right now."
"I didn't ask for clarity," she said. "I asked for the truth."
He exhaled slowly. "And I gave it."
"Half of it," she said.
He didn't deny that.
They didn't talk much after that.
But they noticed each other constantly.
In meetings, Rowan found himself distracted by the way Elira took notes, her brow furrowing when something didn't make sense.
Elira noticed the way Rowan's foot tapped lightly when he was thinking too hard, a restlessness she hadn't seen before.
During lunch, Mira leaned closer to Elira. "You and Rowan had a moment."
Elira sighed.
"It wasn't a moment. It was almost."
Mira nodded. "Those are the hardest."
Later that afternoon, Rowan found Elira by the window again.
"Can we talk?" he asked.
She turned. "About what?"
"About us," he said, then corrected himself. "Or whatever this is."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Okay."
They walked outside, the familiar path carrying a different weight now.
"I don't want to lead you on," Rowan said.
"Then don't," Elira replied.
"I don't want to hurt you."
"Then don't disappear."
He ran a hand through his hair. "You make it sound simple."
"Simple isn't easy," she said.
"But it's honest."
He stopped walking. "I'm not ready."
Her heart tightened, but she nodded. "I know."
"You do?"
"Yes," she said.
"I've known from the beginning."
"Then why stay?" he asked quietly.
She met his eyes.
"Because I like who you are when you're not hiding."
Something shifted in him.
"That version of me doesn't stay long," he warned.
"Then I'll appreciate him while he's here," she said.
He swallowed hard.
The rain came again that evening.
They stood under the awning, not as close as before.
"I don't want you to wait for me," Rowan said suddenly.
"I'm not waiting," Elira replied.
"You are."
She shook her head.
"I'm choosing."
"Choosing what?"
"To be here," she said. "Until I decide not to be."
"That's dangerous."
"For who?" she asked.
"For you."
Her voice softened. "You don't get to protect me from my own choices."
He laughed quietly, without humor. "You're stronger than you look."
She smiled faintly. "You underestimate quiet people."
They stood there as rain filled the silence again.
That night, Rowan texted her.
Rowan: Did I say too much today?
Elira stared at the screen.
Elira: You said enough.
A pause.
Rowan: And that doesn't scare you?
She typed slowly.
Elira: It does. But not enough to walk away.
Rowan set the phone down, heart heavy, mind restless.
The next day passed with careful distance.
At the end of the workday, Rowan stopped Elira at the door.
"Elira," he said. "If I cross a line, tell me."
She nodded. "If you pull away, I'll notice."
He smiled faintly. "You already do."
"Yes," she said. "I do."
They stood there, something fragile and unnamed hanging between them.
Rowan opened his mouth to speak again
His phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen. Whatever he saw made his expression change instantly, shoulders stiffening, eyes closing off like before.
"I have to go," he said quickly.
"Elira" she began.
"I'm sorry," he said, already stepping back. "I'll explain later."
But she knew.
Later wasn't promised.
As she watched him walk away again, faster this time, a heavy understanding s
ettled in her chest.
Whatever kept pulling Rowan away was stronger than his desire to stay.
And she didn't know how many more almost her heart could hold.