The world felt… too loud.

Too heavy.

You hadn’t moved from the couch in hours. Wrapped in your softest blanket like armor, your knees hugged to your chest, you stared blankly at the muted TV screen—images flickering by without sound, without meaning. Your phone buzzed once, then again, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care.

You didn’t want to talk. To explain. To be anything.

Not today.

A quiet knock on the door.

You didn’t answer it. You barely even blinked.

But then the door creaked open anyway, like it had been unlocked already.

And there he was.

Stefan stepped inside like he knew exactly what was waiting for him. His gaze found you immediately—small, quiet, still as a statue curled on the couch—and he didn’t say anything right away. He just shut the door gently behind him, and his footsteps were soft as he crossed the room.