By late afternoon, the quiet was broken by footsteps. Felix returned, a small suitcase in hand, looking exhausted but alert. The moment his eyes landed on me, concern flickered instantly.

“Kai!” he said softly, hurrying over. “Are you okay? I got your messages…”

I shook my head. “I… I’m fine.”

Felix didn’t buy it. His gaze shifted to Rylan, and the subtle tension hit me like a wave. Rylan’s eyes narrowed, just slightly, and I could feel the cold pulse of his jealousy old feelings twisting into something dangerous.

Felix crossed his arms, silent but unmistakably protective. His presence was a shield, and Rylan’s gaze cut right through it.

“I see you’ve recovered,” Rylan said, voice steady but tight. “Good to know you’re… well enough.”

Felix’s jaw tightened. “He’s fine. Let’s not pretend you care about anything besides yourself.”

Rylan’s eyes flicked to me, a silent question, and I flinched, trapped between two people who loved me in very different ways.

Later, when the room emptied except for the three of us, Rylan leaned closer, voice quieter. “Kai… tell me about the panic episode. I need to understand.”

I hesitated, shame twisting in my chest. “There’s not much to say. It’s… it happens sometimes. I try to control it, but…”

“But?”

“But sometimes I can’t.” My voice cracked. “I don’t want anyone to see me like that. It’s…” I paused, struggling for words. “…embarrassing.”

He nodded slowly. “It’s not. Not for me. I just… I didn’t realize. You’ve been carrying this alone.”

Felix, watching, shifted slightly, a subtle warning in his posture. I noticed the tension, not just mine, but theirs, overlapping, complicated, suffocating.

At home later, I curled on the couch, blanket clutched around me. Felix sat nearby, his hand occasionally brushing mine a silent reminder that I wasn’t alone.

I could hear Rylan’s car outside the window, engine idling, the rain casting streaks across the glass. I imagined him watching, perhaps pacing, perhaps wrestling with the same emotions I felt trapped inside myself.

Felix leaned closer, whispering, “You’re safe now. I’m here. I won’t leave.”

I nodded, closing my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. But even with him beside me, I felt the pull of Rylan, his presence lingering like a shadow, a ghost that refused to leave.

The triangle of tension, Felix’s protective warmth, Rylan’s jealous, tortured intensity, and my own fragile heart pressed against me from all sides.

I didn’t know how to navigate it. I didn’t know if I wanted to.

All I knew was that for the first time in years, I felt seen.

Even if it hurts.