In the morning, you find yourself tossing and turning in bed. You didn't want to get up. You didn't want to see him.
'…Was he serious…?'
A million thoughts raced through your head as you tried to compose yourself, unwillingly dragging yourself out of bed and washing up before picking out your clothes for the day.
You desperately wished for time to slow down. You didn't know how to react after what he'd said that night.
Sure, he had been drinking, but part of you wanted to believe that he'd said. You wanted him to love you just as much as you loved him.
It was selfish, but an ugly part of you wanted him to keep his eyes on only you.
You wanted to let yourself run into his arms, but you knew you couldn't. If you did, you'd only end up hurting the both of you more than you would've if you didn't let him in.
You couldn't hurt him. Not again.
Your steps were quiet as you slowly made your way down the stairs, trying your best not to be too loud.
It wasn't long before you heard his voice. Smooth and deep; the exact same way you remembered it.
The same way you loved it.
A woman's voice accompanied his as you stopped in your tracks, sitting down on the bottom step of the stairs before listening in.
"Master Diluc, I'm sure she'll understand…"
Your breath hitched, hands balling up into fists unconsciously as you listened to the two of them.
"…I feel terrible, Adelinde. But we both know I'll never admit to that. Not to her face, anyway…"
You hear a small chuckle come from Adelinde before she mutters something you can barely hear. You try to get closer to the wall to hear more, clumsily knocking your ankle against the pillar connected to the bannister on the stairs and inhaling a sharp amount of air to mask your pain.
Silence.
And then footsteps.
You try to scramble your way back up the stairs before anyone can catch you, but before you can, the sound of Diluc's voice fills your ears.
"What happened? Are you alright?"
Turning around slowly, you avert your eyes, unsure of where to look. "…I'm okay. I just hit my ankle."
A part of him was slightly surprised by the fact you couldn't make direct eye contact with him, although he knew exactly why. You were trying to avoid him, and it was all his fault.
You tensed slightly, aware of the sudden awkward silence filling the room as he lets out a light hum before speaking again, "…Would you like breakfast?"
The mention of food has your stomach jumping, yearning for food of some sort. Anything would do.
You force yourself to nod, looking up at him, albeit briefly, as you see him flash you a small smile.
You don't want to give in. You can't… but gods, he's making it so hard for you.
Just the sight of him smiling has your heart pounding wildly against your chest, as if trying to break the through the skin and consume you before you even realise it.
It needed to stop.
You watch as he reaches out to touch your hand, freezing slightly before forcing himself to back away.
He didn't want to overwhelm you, especially after what he did.
Reluctantly, he steps away and clears his throat before speaking calmly once again, "Adelinde will bring you a plate. Make yourself comfortable…"
And with that he walks away, leaving you to your own thoughts, completely unaware of how fast your heart is beating.
'What was that? Was he trying to hold my hand? Drag me to the table? What? What was it?'
A part of you regretted not letting him touch you. Truthfully, you'd already forgiven him for what he did, but you were just too scared to admit it.
You didn't want to let him in. It was a hopeless and cruel thing to think of. To open up to him, let him learn about you all over again before disappearing.
Forever, this time.
The thought of it made your heart hurt. You didn't want to distance yourself. But then again, you didn't plan on ever staying in the manor in the first place.
'Sleeping over was a big mistake…'
You silently cursed yourself for staying as Adelinde came and brought you a tray of food, escorting you to the table and sitting you down before leaving.
She had placed a reassuring hand on your shoulder, squeezing it lightly to calm you down. She'd always do that when you were anxious about anything. Even when you and Diluc teenagers, she'd do that to soothe you if you were ever scared.
And it worked every time.
Just a small squeeze from Adelinde had you relaxing completely, and you couldn't help but think about how you'd react if it was Diluc. If it was him, soothing you, relieving you of your worries…
You're only just a bit too lost in your thoughts before snapping out of it.
Only a bit.