❝Sometimes when he looked at the moon, he imagined that they weren't two whole worlds apart and instead beneath the same night sky.❞

Nights with in Nyore were both peaceful­ and lonely somehow. Lester normally found himself curled up on his couch reading a book or watching a movie, or just thinking about things with a cup of warm tea. Occasionally, when he was really sad, he went out for a drink at the local club. Tonight, he just chose to stare at the wall as though it could talk.

Every now and then, these feelings would hit him. They were almost out of the blue, but he knew better.

As much as he chose not to focus on the anxiety bubbling under the surface or the underlying stress, his heart hurt. Lester hated to admit it, but he was very, very lost beneath his seemingly happy exterior. In past months, he'd grown quieter. Living alone had become both an enlightening and empowering experience, as well as one he had to take lessons from. A particularly hard lesson? Sometimes he had to put up with himself, which was annoying.

Lester sighed and pressed back against the couch, his warm breath disrupting the cold air around him. Existential crisis were a luxury he'd thankfully never gotten to have – until now, that was. He didn't envy his mate, who'd had hers in the midst of their rule. For the first time, he was trying to find a purpose and become more self-aware. Who was he living for? Or what? They were questions he wrestled with all the time. In his spare time, he threw himself into hobbies hoping to find new passions, but they never became anything more meaningful.

There was also a bit of fear involved. Lester found himself scared of falling back into old habits, scared to get a job for fear of becoming a workaholic again. He was knowingly the epitome of privilege sitting on his butt every day, but laziness was much easier to put up with than addressing his emotions head-on.

As Lester jotted down thoughts and ideas, he ruminated over them just as carefully. Recently, he'd even gone so far as to pick up a few books on gender equality and feminism in an attempt to feel closer to his mate.

He was reading Societal Fear of Powerful Women when a knock sounded at his door. Distracted, Lester set his book down and went to get the door.

He opened it to find Ayden, holding a candle and his phone expectantly. "Hope I'm not interrupting," he said faintly.

"Not at all. Close the door behind you," Lester replied, opening it wider and leaving it as he stepped back into the warmth of his house. "What brings you here at this hour?"

"Company," Ayden said simply, and they left it at that as he too settled on Lester's couch. He lived up to his reputation as a man of few words.

An hour passed in silence as the two read, thought, and drank. Ayden was comfortable enough to make himself at home, picking a book out of Lester's stack and pouring himself some booze. It was quiet, but somehow warmer in the silence with the other man in his midst.

It was just when Lester was starting to drift off that Charlie called to make plans for the next few days. His face lit up as he saw the caller ID, and he took it eagerly, walking to a different room to avoid disturbing the peace. Today she babbled on about changes that they were making at Rockfer's, and her outrage at the poor design choices being chosen. The owner wanted to make it more modern and update the artwork, something Charlie was starkly in opposition of. Lester laughed at her antics and indulged her. They ended up making plans for a picnic the next day and a cooking competition (Charlie's idea) the day after. Nearly half an hour had passed when they hung up, and Lester made his way back to his living room feeling rejuvenated.

Spending time with Charlie was always new and exciting. The variation kept things interesting in a small town that didn't have much going on. While sometimes Lester could still sense that she liked him a bit more than she should, their friendship was very stable and incredibly endearing. Charlie was impulsive and reckless, just not when it came to her relationships, something he could appreciate.

As Lester picked up his book and settled onto the couch once more, he caught Ayden's critical stare. "What?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head and tipping it back down towards the book he was reading.

"No, tell me."

Ayden was quiet for a moment. "You seem to spend a lot of time with this Charlie girl these days."

The observation seemed slightly too underhanded to slip by unnoticed. Lester abandoned his book again, crossing his legs. "You know our relationship isn't like that."

"Is it not?" Ayden questioned, frowning slightly. "If I were Dahlia and I were here to misunderstand, I would definitely misunderstand. It's like you two are joined at the hip."

"We're very good friends," Lester defended. "Maybe even best friends. Charlie's been the only reason—" He stopped short.

"The only reason?"

"The only reason I've been able to keep Dahlia off my mind," Lester said, defeatedly. "Dallon, too. Charlie's just got this energy that's so unique. You've felt it too – she's different than all of those women back at the palace."

"You continue to lead her on," Ayden said, rolling his eyes. "Anyone can see that girl's smitten for you. Have you even told her that you have a mate?"

"Nothing is going to happen between us regardless, leave it alone."

"It just seems immoral to be so closely associated with someone else that's so clearly interested in you, Lester. You don't seem quite disinterested either. It's just concerning, is all." Ayden tapped his fingers on the edge of his book. "I pity your mate."

"That's a bit harsh, isn't it?" Lester said, but his heart wasn't in his words and they both knew it. Was it really so cruel?

Lester wouldn't have gone so far as to say that he'd lead Charlie on. He enjoyed her company and she was a good confidant, that was all. In Nyore, it was harder to find people that he got along with well. Charlie had been the one to even open the door for the possibility of a social life for him.

Long after Ayden left, their conversation still lingered in his mind.  Lester found himself wrestling with various thoughts in his wake.

That night, Lester didn't sleep much. It was just one night of many lost to his thoughts and emotions.

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hope everyone's been having a good week. i guess my life update for you all is that i sprained my ankle during sports practice. it's a more minor sprain at least rip

is it cruel of Lester to be like this? to Charlie or to Dahlia?

what do you think of Lester's growth so far?

definitely let me know your thoughts on this story so far! i'm so grateful to everyone who's stuck with me so far. i know that sometimes my stories can feel frustrating at times ♡