Julian woke up to silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The kind that felt… watched.
His eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the pale gray light filtering through the hospital blinds. For a moment, he didn't move. Didn't breathe properly. Just listened.
Nothing.
No footsteps.
No machines beeping urgently.
No voice.
Just silence.
His chest tightened.
Silas wasn't there.
Julian pushed himself up slightly, wincing as a dull ache spread through his ribs. The movement felt unfamiliar, like his body belonged to someone else and he was just borrowing it.
"Silas?" His voice came out small. Rough.
No answer.
Something cold slipped into his stomach.
He looked around the room again, slower this time, like maybe he had missed him before. The chair beside the bed was empty. The blanket draped over it was slightly creased—proof that someone had been there.
But now…
Gone.
Julian swallowed hard.
Why did that bother him?
He didn't know this man.
Didn't remember him.
Didn't feel anything he was supposed to feel.
So why did the emptiness feel so loud?
His fingers tightened around the hospital sheets.
This is stupid.
He exhaled shakily and forced himself to move, swinging his legs carefully over the side of the bed. The cold floor sent a sharp chill through his system, grounding him slightly.
Okay.
Okay.
He just needed to—
The door opened.
Julian froze.
Silas stepped in like nothing had happened.
Like the room hadn't shifted in his absence.
Like Julian hadn't just been sitting there, trying to convince himself he didn't care.
"You're awake," Silas said simply.
His voice was calm. Controlled.
Too controlled.
Julian's shoulders dropped slightly, relief slipping through him before he could stop it.
And that scared him more than anything.
"Where did you go?" he asked before he could think.
Silas paused.
Just for a second.
But Julian saw it.
"I told you not to get out of bed."
The words came instead of an answer.
Julian blinked.
"That's not what I asked."
Silas closed the door behind him with a soft click. The sound echoed louder than it should have.
"I stepped out," he said finally. "To take a call."
Julian frowned slightly.
"A call?"
Silas walked closer, his gaze dropping briefly to Julian's bare feet on the floor. His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.
"You shouldn't be standing."
"You didn't answer me."
Silas looked up again.
Their eyes locked.
And for a moment—just a moment—something shifted in the air.
Something sharp.
"You don't need to worry about where I go," Silas said quietly.
Julian's breath caught.
That… didn't feel right.
"I wasn't worried," he said quickly, even though that was clearly a lie. "I just—"
"You just what?"
Julian hesitated.
Because he didn't have an answer that made sense.
Because nothing about this made sense.
Silas stepped closer.
Too close.
Julian's back hit the edge of the bed before he even realized he had taken a step back.
"Get back on the bed," Silas said.
Not harsh.
Not loud.
But not a suggestion either.
Julian's heart started beating faster.
"I'm fine—"
"Julian."
The way he said his name—
Soft.
But heavy.
Like it meant something Julian didn't understand.
Julian slowly sat back down.
Silas watched him the entire time.
Not in a caring way.
In a way that felt like… monitoring.
Like making sure he obeyed.
The thought made Julian's stomach twist.
Silas reached out, his fingers brushing briefly against Julian's ankle as he adjusted his position on the bed.
The contact was light.
Barely there.
But it sent a strange, electric feeling up Julian's spine.
He flinched.
Silas noticed.
Of course he did.
His hand stilled for a second before pulling away.
"…Does it hurt?" Silas asked.
Julian shook his head too quickly.
"No."
A lie.
Not about the pain.
About the reaction.
Silas's eyes lingered on him.
Like he didn't believe him.
Like he was trying to read something deeper.
Julian looked away first.
"I don't like waking up alone," he muttered.
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Silence.
Heavy.
Julian immediately regretted it.
Why did I say that?
Silas didn't respond right away.
When Julian finally looked back at him—
Something in Silas's expression had changed.
Softer.
But somehow… more dangerous.
"You weren't alone," Silas said quietly.
Julian frowned.
"I was."
"No," Silas stepped closer again, slower this time. "You just didn't see me leave."
Julian's chest tightened.
That didn't make sense.
That didn't—
"You were asleep," Silas continued. "You wouldn't remember."
Something about the way he said it made Julian's skin prickle.
"You say that a lot," Julian whispered.
Silas tilted his head slightly.
"Say what?"
"That I wouldn't remember."
A pause.
Julian's fingers curled into the sheets again.
"How much am I not remembering?"
Silas didn't answer.
And that—
That was the answer.
Julian's throat went dry.
"Silas…"
Silas reached out suddenly, his hand coming up to Julian's face.
Julian froze.
Not because of fear.
But because—
It felt familiar.
The way his fingers brushed against his jaw.
The way his thumb hovered just under his lip like he'd done it before.
Too many times.
"You're thinking too much," Silas murmured.
Julian's breath hitched.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
Silas's thumb pressed slightly against his lower lip.
Not enough to hurt.
But enough to feel.
"You need to rest."
Julian didn't move.
Couldn't move.
"Why does it feel like you're hiding something from me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Silas's hand stilled.
For a moment—
A crack.
A real one.
Julian saw it.
And then—
Gone.
Silas smiled.
Soft.
Perfect.
Practiced.
"I'm not hiding anything," he said.
Julian's stomach dropped.
Because he didn't believe him.
Not even a little.
Silas leaned closer.
Close enough that Julian could feel his breath.
Close enough that—
"If you trust me," Silas whispered, "you won't need to remember."
Julian's heart stopped.
That—
That wasn't comforting.
That wasn't love.
That felt like a warning.
Julian didn't say anything.
But for the first time since he woke up—
He wondered if losing his memory…
was the safest thing that ever happened to him.