Kael moved toward one of the smaller patio tables near the railing and sat down quietly. I took the seat across from him, setting my plate down while the silence settled naturally between us.
Not awkward silence.
Just quiet.
The kind of quiet that didn’t demand to be filled immediately.
I realized after a minute that Kael carried silence differently than most people. Most people rushed to fill empty space because they were uncomfortable sitting inside it, but he seemed almost built from it. Even now, exhausted and emotionally wrung out after everything in the library, he looked more at ease out here beneath the open sky than he had inside surrounded by people.
So instead of trying to drag him back into another heavy conversation, I let him breathe.
Then I started talking about myself
