Dominik stared at the flickering candle on the dinner table, the soft glow casting shadows across his furrowed brow. The usually comforting warmth of their favorite restaurant felt suffocating tonight. Across from him, Julia laughed at something on her phone, her face illuminated by the screen's light.

"Julia," he started, his voice barely above a whisper.

She looked up, eyes sparkling, but the sparkle seemed different to Dominik. It wasn't the sparkle he fell in love with. It felt distant. "Hmm?"

He swallowed hard, his fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass. "Do you still love me?"

The question hung in the air, a palpable tension that even the most melodious jazz playing in the background couldn't dissolve. Julia blinked, her smile faltering. "What kind of question is that?"

"A serious one," Dominik replied, his eyes searching hers for the truth he was afraid to find.

Julia set her phone down, leaning forward. "Why would you ask that? Of course I love you."

But Dominik wasn't convinced. He had noticed the changes, the subtle shift in her behavior over the past few months. The late nights at work, the lack of enthusiasm in their conversations, the way she would look past him rather than at him. "It doesn't feel like you do," he admitted, his voice breaking.

Julia sighed, frustration creeping into her expression. "Dominik, I've been busy. Work has been insane. You know that."

"I know, but it's not just that. You seem...distant. Different. Like you're here but not really here."

She looked away, fiddling with the napkin in her lap. "You're overthinking things. It's just a phase. We all go through it."

Dominik shook his head, feeling a knot tighten in his chest. "This feels more than a phase, Julia. I feel like I'm losing you."

Julia's eyes softened, and she reached across the table to take his hand. "Dominik, I love you. I'm just under a lot of stress right now. Can you please understand that?"

He squeezed her hand, desperate to believe her words. "I want to. But I need to feel it, Julia. I need to feel that you're still here with me."

Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, and for a moment, Dominik saw the Julia he knew, the one who loved him with all her heart. "I'm trying, Dom. I really am."

He nodded, though his heart remained heavy. They finished their meal in silence, the unspoken words hanging between them like a wall neither knew how to tear down.

Back at their apartment, Dominik watched as Julia slipped into her pajamas, the routine familiarity of it all feeling strangely foreign. He lay beside her in bed, staring at the ceiling, the darkness doing nothing to soothe his troubled mind.

"Goodnight," she whispered, turning away from him.

"Goodnight," he replied, his voice lost in the vast expanse of their bed.

As he listened to her breathing steady into sleep, Dominik closed his eyes, hoping that tomorrow would bring clarity. But deep down, he feared that the love they once shared was slipping through his fingers like sand, no matter how tightly he tried to hold on.

And as the night wore on, he realized that sometimes, the hardest battles are fought in the heart, where love and doubt clash in a silent war. Dominik wasn’t sure which side would win, but he knew that he couldn’t give up. Not yet. Not without a fight.

A.N: I've gotten into writing these stories with a name for the character. If you don't like that then please just substitute your name.