Chapter 28 The walls finally crack
Chapter 28: The Walls Finally Crack
Golden didn’t sleep that night.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Allan’s face, the exhaustion carved into his jaw, the quiet tremble in his voice, the way his walls finally cracked open after years of being impenetrable.
She didn’t know what she was feeling. Was it guilt for not acting sooner when she knew something was wrong?
Was it pity? Or was it born from the feelings she had developed for him over time?
Whatever it was, Golden found herself walking toward the lounge, where she was sure Allan would be. And there he was. Same hoodie. Same tired eyes. Same lonely silhouette.
But something in the air felt different… softer. She approached him, hesitant, but moving anyway. He saw her and didn’t look away this time.
“Hey,” she said gently.
“Hey.” His voice was rough, like he hadn’t used it in days.
For a moment, they just stared at each other, two people suspended in a fragile pocket of quiet.
“You didn’t sleep again,” Golden observed.
He sighed. “Couldn’t. Had to check on Rema a few times. And… I didn’t want to dream.”
That sentence hit her harder than she expected.
Golden stepped closer, close enough to smell faint mint on his breath, faint enough to know he hadn’t eaten properly.
“Come with me,” she said softly.
Allan blinked. “Where?”
“Just trust me.”
He hesitated, then slowly, grudgingly followed.
In the kitchen, she fixed him a plate. Nothing fancy, just eggs, bacon, fruit, and a slice of cake. Better than anything he’d been grabbing during his shifts.
She poured him a glass of orange juice.
“You need your strength if you want to stay by Rema’s side.”
“I barely have an appetite these days. It hurts, seeing him so weak,” Allan murmured, staring at the juice.
Golden reached forward and took his hands.
He didn’t pull away.
“Try, okay? For his sake. I’ll stay with you while you eat.”
He ate slowly. She could tell he wasn’t tasting anything, just eating because he had to.
When he finished, she let him wash the dishes because he insisted. He needed to feel useful, so she allowed it.
Then she led him to the koi pond at the back.
She tossed him a blanket. “Sit. You look like a zombie.”
He smirked, laid out the blanket, and dropped onto it like a sack of potatoes.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly.
“I know. But I want to.”
He stared at her for a while, then shifted his gaze to the koi swimming in the pond.
Slowly, exhaustion began catching up. His eyelids drooped as he fought to stay awake.
“I should probably get back inside…”
Golden moved closer and gently guided his head onto her lap.
“Shhh. Don’t fight it. Just sleep,” she whispered, stroking his hair.
“I’ll wake you if you get a call,” she added, reading his mind.
“This is a safe space, Allan. You can go back to being a play boy tomorrow. But for now, this bad boy needs sleep.”
He stayed awake for a moment longer, watching her with an unreadable expression, waiting, almost, for her to disappear. But she didn’t. Her hand kept stroking his hair.
And finally, maybe from her voice, or from exhaustion, Allan drifted off.
Two hours passed. The sun dipped low, casting a warm golden glow over the pond.
Allan slowly opened his eyes. A blanket was over him. Golden sat beside him, reading a book.
“You stayed?” he asked, voice husky with sleep.
“Of course.”
He stared at her for a long moment. Something shifted in his chest, unsteady, unfamiliar.
“Allan,” she whispered, “you’re not alone.”
And for once, he didn’t argue. He leaned forward and hugged her tight, desperate.
Golden held him just as tightly.
The Nixon Estate slowly became something new for Allan. A refuge. A breath of air. A place where the heaviness didn’t win.
Where Golden was.
Piece by piece, brick by brick, he let her in.
They talked, laughed softly, fed the koi fish, sat in silence, watched sunsets. Allan cleaned around the estate because it was his job, refusing every time she tried to help.
He showed her sketches from his notebook.
He listened to her stories.
He stayed.
Rema recovered enough to come home, and Allan’s heaviness eased. One evening he walked in, saw Golden and hugged her first.
She froze, then smiled and hugged him back.
“Someone’s happy today,” she said.
He sat across from her, still holding onto her arms as if grounding himself.
“Rema had a checkup today,” he said. “The tests came out clear. He’s out of the woods.”
Golden gasped and hugged him tightly.
“Congratulations, Allan. That’s… that’s amazing.”
He pulled back and noticed her tears.
“Then why are you crying?” he asked softly, brushing away a tear with his thumb.
He didn’t know why but seeing her cry made something in his chest twist painfully.
“I don’t know,” she laughed quietly, wiping more tears. “I’m just… happy your brother is okay.”