Fake Date, Real Fate-Chapter 301: Unsettling Kindness

His gaze flicks over me... my bed... my facial features.

He looks relieved.

He says in a slow tone, "Okay...good."

I propped my elbows up to support myself. I asked him why it sounded like he was expecting a negative response.

He scoffed too quickly. "What? I can’t check on my favorite sibling now?"

"You’ve only got one sibling."

"Exactly." He steps fully into the room, nudging the door shut behind him. "That’s why you’re the favorite."

I roll my eyes, but I don’t miss how he moves closer instead of flopping onto the bed like he usually would. He perches on the edge of my bed instead of sprawling across it like usual. His elbows rest on his knees, his posture too careful, like he’s ready to bolt if I tell him to.

"I’m fine," I said softer than I had before. "Just... tired."

His gaze flicks to my arm, the same way it did when I woke up in that too-white room, tubes trailing from my arm. I push the memory away, but the way he watches me makes it crawl back.

"What?" I ask.

"Nothing," he says too fast. Then more carefully he asked, "Your friend drop you off okay?"

I roll my eyes. "Yeah. Aria drives like she’s got a personal vendetta against traffic laws, but yeah."

That earns me a small smile, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. He nods like he’s ticking boxes in his head, the way Dad did when he checks on me every morning.

"...You’re being weird," I tell him.

He raises a brow. "You’re always saying that."

"No," I say. "You’re being nice. That’s not the same. Everyone’s been nice lately—too nice. Dad won’t let me scrub kennels, Aria won’t let me carry anything. , even the neighbors look at me like I’m fragile porcelain."

That earns me another small smile. A real one, not the cocky grin he usually wears like armor.

"Can’t I evolve?" he asks. "Grow? Become a better man? I’m sure you are just overthinking it."

I squint. "Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

He laughs under his breath, shaking his head. "College changes people."

"Not in three weeks it doesn’t," I countered, pulling the duvet a little higher. "You’ve been home for a month, and you’ve spent three weeks of it acting like a secret agent. It’s starting to freak me out."

He didn’t argue. He didn’t even give me a sarcastic comeback. His gaze flicks to my hand, still resting on my stomach, fingers curled slightly like they’re guarding something.

"You sure you’re okay?" he asks again. It’s the same question Aria asks when I come to her place to help out with her gardening, or Dad when I try to sweep the clinic floor. Like I’ve turned into glass overnight.

I will stone him if he ask one more time.

"I told you that I was fine."

He doesn’t disagree with me or tease me about my answer, just nodded once as if he’s keeping my answer stored away for future reference.

And that... that is what gets to me.

Leo used to bug me. He’d poke and push until I either lost it, laughed, or snapped at him. But this new Leo—quiet, always watching, and... careful—feels weird. It’s like my crazy little brother got swapped with a worried substitute that still has a bad fashion taste.

I hate how much it makes my chest ache.

When did he get like this?

"You haven’t been as... much trouble lately," I say, trying to sound casual and still point out his weirdness in another way. "You’re sweeter practically. It’s unsettling."

He snorts. "Gee. Thanks."

"I’m serious."

He shrugs. "Maybe I just don’t feel like being annoying all the time anymore."

That’s... not an answer.

I study his face. The faint shadows under his eyes. The way his shoulders look tighter than usual.

"Leo."

He looks up immediately. "Yeah?"

"...Nothing," I say, shaking my head. "Just— don’t become too responsible, okay? It doesn’t suit you."

He finally breaks out into a big smile that I have seen before, and says, "There she is."

He pushes off the bed and reaches for the door. "Get some rest, okay?"

I blink. "You’re not even going to steal my charger?"

He replies with a very serious face, "I’ll steal it tomorrow."

"Wow. Character development."

He pauses at the doorway and glances back at me one last time. The smile fades just a little.

"Night, sis," he says.

"Night," I reply. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

He gently shuts the door behind him, but he does it too softly.

The soft click of the door closing resonated louder than a slam might have. It cemented the quietness, amplifying the space he’d left behind. I lay there, staring at the ceiling, trying to reconcile the image of the worried, gentle Leo with the boisterous, annoying brother I knew. He hadn’t stolen anything, hadn’t ribbed me about my choice of t-shirt, and hadn’t even tried to sneak a snack from my secret stash. It wasn’t just unsettling; it was almost... sad. Like a part of him had gone missing, replaced by a ghost of concern.

I exhaled, turned on my side, and closed my eyes, the silence pressing heavier than sleep.

*******

Two hours later, I’m still awake.

The room has shifted from dim to properly dark, the moon now a pale smear behind thin clouds. The quiet has settled into something heavier, less sharp than before but more suffocating. The kind of quiet that presses against your ribs when you lie too still.

I’ve changed into shorts. My hair is dry now. I’ve turned over on this bed at least six times.

My palm still tingles.

I give up on sleep and reach for my phone, the new one still feels unfamiliar in my hand.

I sat propped against the headboard, knees pulled up. The screen lights up my face, too bright in the dark. I squint and lower the brightness.