This Thing A Quiet Madness Made

Chapter 41

Her lips pressed into a thin line. She doubted there was anything she could say to make it better, and it wasn't as if she had anyone to blame but herself. In her defense, she had been locked away in isolation for three months by that point, and she wasn't entirely sane when it happened, but that didn't exactly change the reality of things. All that was left to do was brace herself for whatever he was about to say.

But whatever she was expecting, it never came.

After a moment too many of that same, thick silence, her eyes flicked up to his in puzzlement, only to find a concentrated, pensive stare directed at the ground.

"I'm not sure what I wanted to say," he admitted quietly.

She paused for a moment, blinking a few times. "Are you... upset?" she offered uncertainly.

"Not really."

"Do you... resent me?"

"I don't think so."

"Are you angry?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Not even a little?"

"Did you expect me to be?"

"Well... yea," she blinked in confusion, "you should be angry."

"Why?"

"Why? Why wouldn't you be?"

"I don't know."

"What's wrong with you?"

"..."

"Ok, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... if you're not upset, why are you here?"

"...I'm not sure."

Unknown stared at him incredulously. The embarrassment she felt a moment ago had inverted into pure confusion, and she could tell she wasn't the only one.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

For a moment, he seemed surprised at the question. "Of course, why do you ask?"

"Well, for one, you're awake right now. I'm guessing you couldn't sleep."

He remained quiet, and she took that as a sign to continue.

"There's probably something on your mind, right? Something you're concerned about? It's hard to sleep when you're thinking all the time."

"Are you suggesting I stop thinking?"

"Sure, it's not hard. I do it all the time."

"..."

"What?"

"You don't strike me as the 'not thinking' type."

"Ok, well, I'm going to take that as a compliment, but my point is there's a time and place for everything, and 4am in my room is not the time or place to be awake."

"That's a rather polite way to ask me to leave."

"I'm just saying, if you're not looking to talk about your problems, you're not going to do yourself any good staying here."

He remained quiet, seeming to analyze her for a moment before a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

"You seem well," he stated simply.