Whispers of the Heart

**Chapter 6: Avoiding**

The days following the meeting with Noah were filled with an uncomfortable tension that Lily couldn’t shake. She went through the motions of her work, handling the gallery’s operations with the same precision as always, but something inside her felt... off. Her mind kept returning to that meeting, to the cold professionalism that had taken the place of the easy connection they once shared. Every time she thought of Noah, a strange mix of frustration and sadness gripped her.

Had she done something wrong? Had she misread everything? Was he avoiding her on purpose, or had she just imagined the closeness they had shared? She didn’t know what to believe anymore.

Noah’s absence only deepened her confusion. In the past, he would have dropped by the gallery for casual conversations or to check in on the progress of the project. But now, days would pass without a word from him. Even though they had agreed to move forward with the proposal, the next steps never seemed to materialize. He hadn’t responded to her emails or texts, and every time she thought about reaching out, something stopped her. Was it even worth it?

She spent her days distracted, trying to focus on the gallery’s work, but her thoughts kept circling back to Noah.

---

It was Thursday evening when Lily finally ran into Noah again. She hadn’t seen him in person since their awkward meeting, and she’d almost convinced herself that she wouldn’t see him at all until the project was finalized.

Lily had been taking a quick break, walking through the main exhibition hall, when she turned the corner and nearly bumped into him. Noah was standing there, as tall and imposing as ever, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark jacket. He was staring at one of the paintings on the wall, a pensive look on his face, but when he heard her footsteps, he turned sharply.

For a moment, neither of them said anything. The silence stretched out, heavy and thick. Lily’s heart gave a painful lurch in her chest as she looked up at him, trying to gauge his mood. Noah didn’t seem as surprised to see her as she was to see him. His gaze lingered on her, a quiet tension radiating between them.

“Lily,” he said finally, his voice low and steady. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I... I didn’t think you’d be here either,” Lily replied, forcing herself to sound calm. “I thought you were busy with... everything else.”

He didn’t respond right away, his lips pressing into a tight line as if he was choosing his words carefully. “I’ve been... tied up with work,” he said after a long pause, though it sounded like an excuse, not an explanation. He took a step back from the painting and ran a hand through his hair, his posture still tense. “I should’ve been in touch.”

Lily nodded, unsure of how to proceed. The conversation felt awkward, strained, like they were speaking to each other through some invisible barrier. “It’s okay,” she said, her voice quieter than she meant. “I know you’re busy. We all are.”

Noah’s gaze shifted toward the floor briefly before meeting her eyes again. The intensity of his stare made her stomach flip. “Look, Lily... about the other day. At the meeting. I didn’t mean to make things weird between us.”

Lily blinked, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. *Make things weird?* She hadn’t realized how much that meeting had affected her until now. She had thought about it endlessly, trying to figure out what had gone wrong, but hearing him acknowledge it felt... uncomfortable. Did he even know what he was apologizing for?

She hesitated, unsure of what to say. “It’s... it’s fine, Noah,” she said quickly. “Really. You don’t have to apologize. Things just... got a little off track.”

Noah looked at her with an unreadable expression, his jaw clenched. “Lily,” he started again, his voice quieter, but more insistent. “I’ve been avoiding you.”

The words hit her like a punch to the gut. Avoiding her? Why? What did that even mean? The pain in her chest flared up again, stronger this time, and she tried to keep her voice steady. “What do you mean?”

Noah sighed, his frustration clear in his eyes. He took a step toward her, his hands still in his pockets, but his body language was uncertain. “I’ve been avoiding *us*, Lily. Avoiding... whatever this is between us. I didn’t want to make things complicated, but I can’t ignore it anymore. I’ve been thinking about you—about us—and I’m not sure where to go from here.”

Lily’s breath caught in her throat. *Us?* Was there even an “us”? Her mind raced as she tried to make sense of his words. She wanted to ask him what he meant, to push him for clarity, but she couldn’t bring herself to. Instead, she felt herself shutting down, pulling back, as the familiar walls started to rise.

“I don’t understand,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “If you’ve been avoiding me, why now? Why... why are you here?”

Noah ran a hand over his face, looking conflicted, frustrated. “Because I can’t keep pretending like it’s nothing. Like *you* are nothing,” he said, his voice rising slightly, though his gaze never left her. “I... I’ve been pushing this aside for weeks, thinking it was just a fleeting feeling, but it’s not. I don’t want to keep avoiding it.”

Lily felt the air leave her lungs, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. “But you *have* been avoiding me, Noah,” she said, the words coming out sharper than she intended. “You haven’t responded to my emails, my texts. You’ve been distant, and now you’re saying this?”

Noah’s expression faltered, guilt flashing across his face. “I know, and I’m sorry. But I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t want to make things worse between us, and I didn’t want to ruin what we had. But I can’t keep pretending like I’m not... falling for you.”

Lily froze. The words hung in the air between them like a tangible weight, suffocating in their intensity. *Falling for you.* She couldn’t breathe for a moment, her thoughts scattered, overwhelmed by the unexpected vulnerability in his admission. But even as the words sank in, all she could feel was the quiet, bitter taste of rejection.

“You should’ve just talked to me,” she said quietly, the anger bubbling beneath the surface. “I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know where we stood.”

“I know,” Noah muttered, stepping back as if suddenly aware of the distance between them. “I should’ve been clearer. But... I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. And I didn’t want to complicate things.”

Lily shook her head, her mind reeling. “But now you’ve *already* complicated things, Noah. And I don’t know how to fix it.” She forced herself to look him in the eye, even though it felt like her heart was being shredded inside her. “I don’t know what you want from me. You’ve been avoiding me, and I don’t understand why.”

Noah stared at her, his expression shifting from guilt to something deeper, darker. “I’m not trying to hurt you,” he said quietly. “But avoiding you... avoiding *us*... that was the only way I could keep myself from getting too close. From letting myself care. And I was wrong for doing that.”

Lily’s head was spinning. She didn’t know what to say, what to feel. Everything about this situation felt impossible. She had spent her life protecting herself, keeping her heart locked away behind walls, and now Noah was asking her to tear them down. But she didn’t know how. And she wasn’t sure she was ready to.

“I can’t do this, Noah,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “I can’t keep pretending like everything’s fine when I don’t even understand what’s happening.”

Noah’s face fell, and for a moment, it looked like he might say something, but he didn’t. Instead, he simply nodded, his eyes full of regret. He turned away without another word, leaving Lily standing alone in the gallery once again.

As he walked out the door, Lily felt the walls she had built around herself growing higher, stronger, more impenetrable. She had thought she was ready to let him in, but now... she wasn’t so sure.

And in that moment, as the sound of his footsteps faded away, she realized that maybe she had been avoiding him too. Maybe, just maybe, she had been avoiding *herself*.