Chapter 19 —Ridiculous

Narrator:

Since that morning in the kitchen, Aylin had changed.

And he noticed it immediately. There were no more lingering glances. No more gentle greetings. No more shared silences that used to be filled with tension and electricity.

Now she was pure ice, cold and perfect.

“Good morning, Aylin,” Roman greeted her the next day, passing her in the hallway.

She barely nodded her head.

“Good morning, Mr. Adler.”

And she kept walking, without stopping, without looking at him, without giving him a chance to say anything else.

Roman stood still, watching her disappear up the stairs, frowning as if he didn't understand what the hell had happened. But it had happened, and it continued to happen.

At lunch, Aylin sat with Sasha in the kitchen. When Roman came in, they were talking and laughing. When he saw her, he waited... he waited for her to invite him to join them, to give him at least one of those soft smiles that he had recently become addicted to, but no.

“Would y