Page 30 of Silent Noise

His eyes went wide, brows lifting to his forehead. He opened his mouth to say something but shut it again, schooling his features.

“What?”

He shrugged, “nothing. You just don’t look sixteen.”

I wasn’t sure whether it was a good or bad thing. People often told me I looked younger than I was. I guess Mat and I had that in common.

“Can you tell me what today’s date is?” Mat asked, tucking his hands into his pockets.

“I-uh,” it seemed like such an easy question and yet the answer felt like it was miles away. “It should be November 5th, if I’m correct?”

“Which year?”

I frowned. “1989.”

A saturated silence fell between us, and a crease formed between Mat’s dark brows. His pupils danced over my face, searching for something.

“Why?”

He didn’t look at me as he pushed off the bed and began strolling towards the door. “You can stay for as long as you wish. You’ll be safe here.”

There was such weight, such sincerity in his words that it left me speechless for a moment, my mind struggling to wrap around it. He’d invited me to stay. A girl he knew nothing about and yet, he hadn’t flinched when he said it.

I gaped at him and when he finally turned to face me again, stopping at the room’s threshold, he shrugged. “I’ll be back for dinner,” and then he was gone, his footsteps fading down the hall.

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