She didn't try to leave.
And that alone felt wrong.
Lena stood there for a few seconds longer than she should have, her eyes fixed on the city lights outside like they might anchor her to something familiar.
They didn't.
Everything out there looked the same.
But she didn't feel the same.
Her fingers curled slowly at her sides as she became aware of it again—that quiet, steady pull sitting in her chest. Not sharp. Not painful.
Just… constant.
Like it had settled in and decided it wasn't going anywhere.
"…This isn't normal," she said under her breath.
"No."
His voice came from behind her, calm as ever.
Lena let out a quiet breath, almost a tired one. "You really need a different answer."
"It wouldn't change anything."
She turned slightly, just enough to look at him over her shoulder. "Maybe not. But it would make you less irritating."
There was a pause.
Not awkward.
Just… still.
"You're not as unsettled as you should be," he said.
Her brows pulled together. "Excuse me?"
"You stopped trying to leave."
"That doesn't mean I'm okay with this."
"No," he agreed. "But it means you're adjusting."
She stared at him for a second, something flickering in her expression—annoyance, maybe, or something close to it.
"I'm not adjusting," she said. "I'm processing."
"It's the same thing."
"It's really not."
But even as she said it, the words didn't land as firmly as she wanted them to.
Because he wasn't entirely wrong.
And that bothered her more than anything.
Lena turned fully this time, crossing her arms loosely, more out of habit than defense.
"Is this how it works?" she asked. "You just… wait until people give up?"
"I don't need to wait."
Her jaw tightened slightly. "That's not as reassuring as you think it is."
"It's not meant to be."
"Of course it isn't."
A small breath slipped out of her, quieter this time.
She pushed herself away from the window and took a few steps across the room, her movements slower now, more measured.
The strange thing was—
The further she moved from him, the more aware she became of the distance.
Not in a normal way.
It wasn't just space.
It was that pull again.
Stretching.
Thin, almost invisible—
but there.
Lena stopped mid-step.
"…Okay," she muttered. "That's new."
"It's not new," he said. "You're just noticing it now."
She glanced back at him. "That's worse."
He didn't argue.
Of course he didn't.
Lena let out a quiet breath, her hand pressing briefly against her chest like she could steady whatever was happening inside her.
It didn't help.
Nothing about this felt like something she could control.
"Does it get stronger?" she asked.
"Yes."
She blinked. "…Seriously?"
"Yes."
She let out a soft, disbelieving laugh. "Great. That's just—great."
There was no real humor in it.
Just disbelief.
And something else.
Something quieter.
Lena dropped her hand and shook her head slightly, trying to push past it.
"Okay. Fine," she said. "Let's talk about something else before I lose my mind."
He didn't respond, but his attention didn't shift either.
That, apparently, was his version of agreement.
"You said I'm part of your world now," she continued. "So what does that actually look like? Am I just… stuck in this building forever?"
"No."
Her brows lifted slightly. "That's the first good answer you've given."
"You'll stay where I decide."
And there it was.
She exhaled slowly. "And we're back."
"It's necessary."
"For who?"
"For you."
She gave him a look. "You don't actually expect me to believe that, do you?"
"You don't have to believe it," he said. "It doesn't change it."
That certainty again.
Always that certainty.
Lena turned away before it could get under her skin too much, pacing a few steps before stopping again.
"This is unbelievable," she muttered.
"Yes."
She let out a small breath, almost laughing again. "You're impossible."
"I've been told that."
That made her pause.
It was subtle.
Barely anything.
But it was the closest thing to a real response she'd gotten from him.
"…I can see why," she said.
A quiet moment passed between them.
Not tense.
Not sharp.
Just… something softer.
And that threw her off more than anything.
Lena frowned slightly, like she didn't trust it.
"…Why me?" she asked suddenly.
The question came out before she could stop it.
It hung there, heavier than she expected.
Because that was the part she still didn't understand.
Out of everyone—
Why her?
He didn't answer immediately.
And that alone made her chest tighten slightly.
"You were available," he said.
Lena blinked.
"…That's it?"
"Yes."
She stared at him for a second.
Then let out a breath that almost turned into a laugh.
"That might be the worst answer you've given so far."
"It's the most accurate."
She shook her head, looking away again.
"Unbelievable."
But the word didn't carry much weight anymore.
Because something about it—
about all of this—
was starting to settle.
And she hated that.
Lena exhaled slowly, her shoulders dropping just a little.
"…I don't like how this feels," she admitted.
"I know."
Her gaze snapped back to him. "You know?"
"Yes."
"Then fix it."
"I can't."
The answer came too quickly.
Too easily.
And that—
that felt real.
Lena held his gaze for a second longer, searching for something in his expression.
Regret.
Hesitation.
Anything.
There was nothing.
Just that same calm certainty.
And for the first time—
it didn't make her want to argue.
It just made her… tired.
She looked away again, her voice quieter when she spoke.
"…So this is it."
"For now."
She let out a slow breath.
"Yeah," she said. "I figured."
Silence settled again.
But this time—
it didn't feel heavy.
It felt… still.
Like something had already shifted into place.
Lena moved back toward the window, her gaze drifting over the city once more.
Everything out there kept moving.
Kept going.
Like nothing had changed.
Meanwhile—
she couldn't even walk out of a room.
And somehow—
that didn't feel as impossible as it had before.
"…This is insane," she said softly.
"Yes."
She didn't argue.
Didn't question it.
Didn't try to leave.
She just stood there, the quiet pull in her chest steady and unrelenting—
and for the first time—
she didn't try to fight it.