ch 4

The tea in my hands had already cooled slightly.

I hadn’t taken a sip.

Not because I didn’t want to.

But because my thoughts kept moving faster than the moment itself.

The room around me stayed warm in a way I still wasn’t used to.

Soft lighting, quiet movement, the faint smell of something freshly prepared in the kitchen.

Everything felt lived in.

Comfortable.

Normal.

And I—

I didn’t feel like I fit into it yet.

My fingers tightened slightly around the cup.

They don’t know.

That thought came again.

Not loud.

Just steady.

Like it had settled somewhere it refused to leave.

Mr. Vale leaned back in his chair, watching the room with an easy expression.

Mrs. Vale placed a small plate of snacks on the table in front of me.

“Eat something, Sebastian,” she said gently. “You’ve barely touched anything.”

I hesitated for a moment.

“…I’m fine.”

Mr. Vale gave a small amused sound.

“That’s what everyone says before they realize they’re starving.”

Mrs. Vale shot him a look.

“Edward.”

“I’m just saying,” he replied lightly. “First visits tend to make people forget basic survival instincts.”

That made me glance at him briefly.

“…This is not a survival situation.”

He nodded.

“Debatable.”

Mrs. Vale sighed softly, but there was no real frustration in it.

More like familiarity.

Like this was normal between them.

Theo sat across from me.

Same posture as before.

Still. Composed.

Not drawing attention, not avoiding it either.

Just existing in his space naturally.

Mr. Vale shifted slightly, looking between both of us.

“You know,” he said casually, “I still didn’t expect this direction from Theo.”

That made my attention sharpen slightly.

My eyes moved to Theo for a moment.

He didn’t react immediately.

Just stayed as he was.

Mr. Vale continued anyway, tone light.

“He usually doesn’t involve himself in things like this. Then suddenly—”

Theo interrupted.

“…That’s enough.”

The words were simple.

Not raised.

Not sharp.

Just enough to stop the direction of the conversation.

The room paused briefly.

Mr. Vale blinked once.

Then leaned back with a faint smile.

“Alright,” he said easily. “I’ll stop.”

Mrs. Vale gave a small, knowing look.

“You always push him too far.”

“I’m his father,” Mr. Vale replied. “It’s my job.”

Theo didn’t respond further.

He simply returned to stillness, as if the interruption had already been closed.

I lowered my gaze slightly to the cup in my hands.

Warmth had faded a little more now.

They don’t know.

The thought stayed again.

But it felt heavier this time.

Because they were speaking like this was normal.

Like I was just here for a visit.

Not because a contract existed in the background of everything.

Not because I had been placed here by something I didn’t choose fully myself.

Mrs. Vale turned toward me again.

“You’re quiet,” she said softly.

I looked up.

“…Just thinking.”

She nodded once, accepting that without further question.

“That’s alright.”

Mr. Vale leaned slightly forward again.

“Thinking too much in this house is normal,” he added. “It’s the only way to survive Theo’s personality.”

Theo glanced at him briefly.

“…You talk too much Dad.”

Mr. Vale smiled.

“And you don’t talk enough son. Balance.”

Mrs. Vale shook her head slightly, but she was smiling too.

I watched it for a moment.

This exchange.

This ease.

It didn’t feel rehearsed.

It just… was.

Theo’s gaze shifted slightly.

It landed on me for a brief second.

Not intense.

Not searching.

Just present.

Then he looked away again, like it didn’t require attention beyond that moment.

And strangely—

that small moment stayed with me longer than anything else in the room.

Because everything here felt simple.

But nothing in me felt simple anymore.

My grip on the cup loosened slightly.

I still hadn’t drunk the tea.

But I didn’t put it down either.

Because leaving it untouched felt like refusing something I didn’t fully understand yet.

And for now—

that was the closest thing I had to belonging in this room.

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