Page 42 of The Fractured Veil

Zarek was sitting on the edge of his bed, a book open in his lap, his eyes flicking up to meet mine as I entered. He gave me a small, appreciative smile, his gaze traveling down my body, briefly lingering on the robe before meeting my eyes again, a flicker of desire dancing in their depths.

“Looks good on you,” he said, his voice teasing, but his eyes were serious.

I felt my cheeks heat up and I glanced down at the robe, fidgeting with the sleeve, suddenly self-conscious under his gaze. “Thanks. I, uh… didn’t want to put my dirty clothes back on.”

He nodded and stood up, crossing the room to a small wardrobe tucked away in the corner. “I figured. Here,” he said, pulling out a neatly folded set of clothes and handing them to me. “They might be a little big, but at least they’re clean.”

I took the clothes from him, my fingers brushing against his for a fleeting moment. The brief contact sent a spark through me, a jolt of electricity that made me tingle all the way to my toes. I looked up at him, catching the way his eyes studied on mine, something unreadable flickering there, a silent question hanging in the air.

“Thanks, this is part of the reason I wanted to go back to my dorms," I teased, trying to deflect the intensity of the moment—to ignore the tension that seemed to buzz between us like a live wire.

He shrugged, giving me that easy, disarming smile of his. “Don’t mention it. Besides,” he added, his tone turning playful as his eyes swept over me again, a hint of mischief in his gaze, “I think these would look better on you.”

I laughed, shaking my head, trying to ignore the way his words made my stomach flutter. “I'll look like I'm a kid wearing their dad’s clothes.”

He laughed with me, his smile bright and real as his hair fell into his eyes. He reached up to push it back, a casual gesture that sent another unexpected wave of heat through me. There was something about the way he looked at me—his gaze holding mine a little longer than necessary—that made my stomach churn with a mixture of nerves and excitement.

Get it together, Thalia, I mentally scolded myself. Falling for him—for Nox—was absolutely not an option.

"Speaking of parents, winter break started a few days ago. They must be freaking out that they haven't heard from you—it is the holidays, after all."

There was a moment of silence between us. I swallowed, the warmth of the moment slipping away slightly.

Of course, he doesn't know you don't have any parents—Wait, what? Winter break has already started?

“What do you mean? How long was I out?” I asked, my voice cracking slightly as panic started to fill my chest.

Zarek's playful demeanor vanished, replaced by a worried frown that tugged at his brow. He stepped closer, his hand gently reaching out to cup my cheek. "Hey, hey, it's okay," he soothed, his thumb brushing a stray tear away. I hadn't even realized I was crying.

Don't cry, Thalia, don't cry,I told myself, hating the way my emotions seemed to be spilling over. I guess I was on the edge of a complete breakdown.

"You were out for a few days—maybe four or five," he continued, his voice a low rumble that vibrated through me. "You needed rest. We didn't want to push you."

My mind spun, trying to grasp the news. The world had continued moving while I was stuck in oblivion, lost in the suffocating darkness. Four or five days lost, gone, vanished into thin air.

"Thalia, breathe," Zarek said softly, his hand tilting my chin up to meet his gaze. "I know it's a lot, but you're okay now. When Nox found you, you were almost..." He trailed off, his eyes clouding with something darker.

Dead. I was basically dead.The word echoed in my mind, sending a shiver down my spine.

I took a shaky breath, nodding, trying to regulate my breathing. "I'm okay, it's fine, I'm fine." The words felt hollow even to my own ears.

He gave me a look that showed he could see right through my bullshit. But he didn't say anything, giving me a moment to process as his fingers traced my skin lightly.

For a moment, we stood there, eyes locked. There was a charged energy that made my skin tingle—a pull towards him that was getting harder and harder to ignore. I cleared my throat, breaking the spell, and gestured to the clothes in my hands, trying to deflect the intensity of the moment—to regain some kind of control. “I should probably get changed.”

He stepped back, giving me space, his playful smile returning, as if a switch had been flipped. “Right. I’ll just… be over here, pretending not to look.”

“Or you could leave,” I reply, raising an eyebrow at him, a playful smirk tugging at the corner of my lips.

“I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” he shoots back, his eyes shining with a challenge, “what if you fall?” There was a teasing pitch to his tone.

“Whatever, turn around, Zarek,” I said, shaking my head, and he obliged, turning his back to me with an exaggerated sigh, a dramatic flair that made me smile. He was such a dork, but a charming one.

As I quickly changed into the clothes he’d given me—a soft, comfortable t-shirt and loose-fitting sweatpants—I couldn’t help but steal a glance at him over my shoulder. Even with his back turned, there was something about his presence that made me feel alive—a spark of warmth in the cold emptiness that had settled within me when I was a child.

“Okay, done,” I said, and he turned back around, his eyes scanning me before nodding in approval, another smile gracing his lips. It was a warm, genuine smile, one that reached his eyes and made my heart flutter.

“See? Told you they’d look good,” he said, his grin widening, a hint of desire dancing in his eyes. It was a look that made my cheeks flush.

---