Chapter 2: The Weight of Silence

The interview ended faster than I expected. Zane asked a few more questions, most of which I answered with confidence, but there was this strange feeling in the air, a tension that wouldn’t go away. Every time I spoke, I wondered if he noticed something—if he could sense the hesitation in my voice, or maybe the way I looked at him longer than I should have.

But Zane didn’t seem to notice anything. He kept things professional, polite, and distant. He thanked me for coming in, and I shook his hand, trying to remain composed despite the turmoil inside me. I followed him to the door of his office, where he let me out. His eyes didn’t linger on me, just like I’d expected. To him, I was just another employee, another face he had to deal with. He didn’t see me as the boy he used to know.

I forced a smile, nodding at the receptionist as I left the building. The lobby felt a little too quiet as I walked through it, my steps echoing in the large space. My heart was racing, but I didn’t know why. I should be relieved that it was over, that I’d made it through the interview without giving myself away. But the emptiness was still there. It felt like nothing had changed, even though everything had.

When I stepped into the elevator and the doors closed behind me, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. I pulled out my phone, noticing a message from Marco.

“How did it go?”

I quickly typed a response, trying to keep it casual.

“It went well, I think. No surprises.”

But I didn’t feel sure of that. It felt like I was lying to him, even though I wasn’t. The truth was, I had no idea how to feel. Zane didn’t recognize me. And honestly, a part of me was relieved by that. I don’t think I’m ready for him to remember who I really am.

I left the building and walked to my car. The drive home was quiet, and my thoughts kept drifting back to Zane. His face, his voice, the way he looked at me like I was just another person in his company.

The whole time I had been so careful, hiding behind a mask. I wasn’t the awkward, shy kid anymore. I wasn’t the one who needed him to protect me. I had changed. I was confident now, someone who had built a life on his own. But still, when I saw Zane, I couldn’t help but feel that pull. The connection we had when we were younger—was it gone forever? Or was there still a chance?

As I pulled into my parking spot, I stared at my phone again. Another message from Marco.

“So, what’s next? Are you going to tell him who you are, or keep pretending?”

I paused, looking at the screen. I knew what he meant. What did I want to do? Should I come clean and tell Zane the truth about who I really am? Or should I keep pretending, like I’d been doing all these years?

I didn’t have the answer. I wasn’t sure I could ever tell him the whole truth. There was too much at risk. What if he didn’t feel the same way? What if, after all these years, he didn’t remember anything? What if he hated me for hiding who I was?

I typed a response.

“I don’t know yet. I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Then, I turned off my phone and sat there in my car for a while. The weight of everything pressed down on me. I couldn’t help but wonder if things would ever be the same between Zane and me. But maybe they wouldn’t be. Maybe that was the reality I had to accept.

For now, I had to keep moving forward, even though the past kept pulling me back. I couldn’t go back to the way things were. But at the same time, I didn’t know how to move forward. I didn’t know what was going to happen next.

The only thing I was sure of was that pretending felt easier than facing the truth. But at what cost? How long could I keep up the act before everything fell apart?

I sighed, looking out the window as the sun began to set. For the first time in a long time, I felt lost.

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