Chapter 22 - The Quiet Between the Lines
Chapter 22: The Quiet Between the Lines
Ivan wasn’t in a rush.
Not with decisions. Not with emotions. Not with life.
He was the type to arrive five minutes early but wait outside until the exact time. The kind who read messages twice before replying — not because he didn’t care, but because he wanted to mean what he said.
That was why his relationship worked.
Eight years. One girlfriend. No breakups. No “on and off.”
Just slow, intentional growth.
But lately, the world around him had started to shift.
Aleem was blooming again — slowly but surely, thanks to Hana.
Isabelle was in something warm and quietly committed.
Crystal was mapping a future that moved at the speed of light.
And Ivan?
Ivan was… waiting.
Not for something to happen. But for the right next thing to act on.
He met his girlfriend for dinner one evening, a quiet teppanyaki spot near her office. They spoke like they always did — calmly, with affection tucked into the edges.
After they paid the bill, she said, “Everyone’s moving so fast.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Feels like the world’s asking me where I want to live, what I want to do, who I want to become — all at once.”
He nodded. “It’s loud right now.”
She smiled. “You’ve always been good at quiet.”
He thought about that on the way home.
How being “good at quiet” had kept him sane.
But also how it sometimes made him feel like he was watching a movie of everyone else’s life.
The next day, ABIX met for lunch. The energy was the same — familiar, teasing, anchored.
Crystal was talking about a difficult client. Isabelle mentioned her boyfriend learning to cook. Aleem laughed about a date plan that went hilariously off-script.
And Ivan sat there, sipping his barley, nodding when appropriate.
Until Aleem turned to him. “You okay, bro? You’ve been quiet.”
Ivan blinked. “I’m always quiet.”
Aleem smirked. “Yeah, but this one feels internal monologue quiet.”
Crystal leaned in. “What’s going on in that calculating brain of yours?”
He paused. Then, honestly: “I don’t know what I want next.”
They all looked at him.
“I’ve always had a plan. But lately, I’ve been wondering if I’m sticking to it because it’s right, or because it’s safe.”
Isabelle tilted her head. “Isn’t safety a good thing?”
“Sometimes,” Ivan replied. “But sometimes it just means I’m too afraid to want more.”
There was a rare stillness at the table.
Then Crystal raised her drink. “To wanting more — even if it scares the hell out of us.”
Ivan smiled — small, but real. He raised his glass, too.
That night, he opened his journal. The one no one knew he kept.
I don’t need to chase change just because others are changing.
But I can admit that I’ve been hiding behind “stable” when I really meant “afraid to disrupt comfort.”
Maybe it’s time to move — not fast, but forward.