By the third morning, the villa felt less unfamiliar.
Not familiar.
Not yet.
But no longer completely foreign.
The initial strangeness of waking up in Evermere had begun to fade.
The silence remained.
The stillness remained.
Yet Malissa found herself adjusting to both.
When she woke that morning, sunlight was already pouring through the bedroom windows.
For several moments she remained beneath the blankets, staring at the ceiling.
No traffic.
No sirens.
No distant city noise.
Just birds.
She wasn't sure she had ever heard birds this clearly before.
Eventually she climbed out of bed and got ready for the day.
Downstairs, the villa was quiet.
Alexander was nowhere in sight.
A strange discovery.
Over the past two mornings, she'd somehow become accustomed to finding him already seated with coffee in hand before she'd even left her room.
This morning, however, the kitchen stood empty.
Curious.
After preparing breakfast, she carried her plate toward one of the large windows overlooking the lake.
The water shimmered beneath the morning sunlight.
Calm.
Undisturbed.
Beautiful.
The view had been there since the day they arrived.
Only now did she find herself truly paying attention to it.
Maybe isolation wasn't entirely terrible.
Maybe.
Later that morning, she finally decided to explore the property.
Not the town.
Not Evermere itself.
Just the villa grounds.
The estate stretched far beyond what she'd originally imagined.
The private driveway wound through towering trees.
Well-maintained gardens surrounded the villa itself.
Stone pathways connected different sections of the property.
Farther away, she discovered a small wooden deck overlooking the lake.
The water extended endlessly before her.
A gentle breeze moved across its surface.
Malissa leaned against the railing.
She realized several minutes had passed without checking the news.
The thought surprised her.
She wasn't checking news updates.
She wasn't thinking about restrictions.
Or infection numbers.
Or government announcements.
She simply stood there.
Breathing.
The realization felt oddly refreshing.
Life had become so loud recently.
The villa forced everything to slow down.
Whether she wanted it to or not.
By noon, she returned inside.
The house remained quiet.
Almost suspiciously quiet.
Which was what eventually led her toward the study.
She wasn't looking for Alexander.
At least that's what she told herself.
She was simply curious.
The study door stood partially open.
Malissa paused.
Then glanced inside.
Alexander sat behind a desk surrounded by documents.
A laptop.
Several reports.
Two tablets.
And...
Three empty coffee cups.
She blinked.
Three?
The man had apparently been working for hours.
Without moving.
Without eating.
Without doing anything except consuming dangerous amounts of caffeine.
Alexander looked up.
Their eyes met.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
"You've had all those today?"
His eyes fell on the empty cups slightly.
"Yes."
"That can't be healthy."
A brief silence followed.
"I'll survive."
The response was delivered so seriously that she almost smiled.
Instead she shook her head.
"Have you eaten today?"
"Yes."
She wasn't entirely convinced.
Alexander seemed to notice.
"I had breakfast."
"This morning?"
"Yes."
A pause followed.
Malissa glanced at the coffee cups again.
Somehow that still didn't answer her question.
But she suspected pressing further would be pointless.
Alexander had already returned his attention to the report in front of him.
Conversation over.
Apparently.
Malissa stood there for another moment before giving up.
Some battles weren't worth fighting.
Behind her, Alexander continued working.
Unbothered.
Entirely convinced that coffee qualified as a food group.
That afternoon, routine slowly began taking shape.
Alexander worked.
Malissa occupied herself elsewhere.
Occasionally they crossed paths.
Kitchen.
Hallway.
Living room.
Nothing dramatic.
No lingering tension.
No uncomfortable silences.
The awkwardness of the first morning had softened.
Not disappeared.
Just softened.
Enough that existing beneath the same roof no longer felt unusual.
News updates continued playing throughout the day.
The situation outside remained serious.
Restrictions expanded.
Several major cities reported increasing cases.
Public concern continued growing.
Yet the distance between Evermere and Pacifica Heights somehow made everything feel unreal.
Not less important.
Just farther away.
As though the world existed behind a sheet of glass.
Visible.
But untouchable.
That evening, Malissa found herself sitting on the terrace overlooking the lake.
The sunset painted the water in shades of gold and orange.
The view felt almost unfairly beautiful.
She had brought a sketchbook with her.
Not because she intended to work.
Simply because it felt natural.
A few rough outlines appeared across the page.
Nothing serious.
Just ideas.
Shapes.
Silhouettes.
Thoughts.
She didn't hear the terrace door open.
Only noticed the movement when someone stepped into her peripheral vision.
Alexander.
He carried a mug.
Thankfully not another coffee.
Tea, from the smell of it.
Progress.
Without speaking, he moved toward the railing overlooking the lake.
Several feet separated them.
Neither seemed particularly bothered by the silence.
Eventually, Alexander glanced toward the sketchbook.
"Working?"
"Not really."
Malissa looked down at the page.
"More like thinking."
He nodded.
As though that explanation made perfect sense.
Perhaps it did.
Another quiet moment passed.
The lake reflected the final colours of sunset.
The surrounding trees swayed gently in the evening breeze.
Everything felt still.
Not empty.
Just peaceful.
The distinction mattered.
Finally, Alexander spoke again.
"You're adjusting."
The observation surprised her.
Malissa looked up.
"You noticed?"
"I observe things."
She laughed softly.
That sounded exactly like him.
"I suppose I am."
A pause.
Then she added honestly,
"I thought being trapped somewhere would feel worse."
Alexander's gaze remained fixed on the water.
"Most people associate silence with loneliness."
"And you don't?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Malissa considered that.
Somehow it made sense.
Alexander had always seemed comfortable alone.
Comfortable with distance.
Comfortable with quiet.
Yet standing here now...
The silence didn't feel lonely.
Not really.
Just different.
Eventually darkness began replacing the last traces of sunlight.
The lake disappeared beneath shadows.
One by one, lights illuminated the villa behind them.
The evening air grew cooler.
Malissa closed her sketchbook.
Alexander finished his tea.
Neither seemed particularly eager to move.
The realization struck her unexpectedly.
Only a few days ago, sharing silence with Alexander Marquez would have felt uncomfortable.
Now...
It felt less unfamiliar.
The realization surprised her more than she cared to admit.