I laughed again, and just like that—the tension eased. Not completely, not all the way, but enough. Enough to let the moment stretch into something almost… comfortable. Safe.
We stood there for a beat longer, silence wrapping around us until Cavil spoke again.
“I guess we’re not going to talk about what just happened?”
I hesitated, then gave a weak shrug. “I mean… whatisthere to say?”
He leaned against the counter, arms folded, gaze fixed on mine. “We kissed.”
I nodded slowly. “Yep.”
“And?” he prompted, a playful edge to his voice—but something else lingered beneath it. Something careful.
“And… I don’t know,” I said honestly, the words small but real. “It was nice.”
His smirk faded slightly, softened into something quieter. I saw it then—the same uncertainty I felt. The same question neither of us had quite figured out how to ask yet.
Before it could settle between us fully, Marmalade let out another indignant meow, clearly unimpressed by our lack of attention.
Cavil reached out to scratch behind the cat’s ears. “Looks like we have an audience.”
“Priorities,” I murmured, stepping just a little closer to him. My hand brushed the edge of the counter, steadying myself as my heart kept up its hopeful, hesitant rhythm.
And then I decided I was being weird and needed to close up shop.
I moved throughThe Book Nook, flipping the light switches one by one, each click dimming the store until only the soft amber glow near the front windows remained. The silence that followed felt gentle, like the store itself was exhaling—settling into sleep. But my mind didn’t match the stillness. It buzzed with thoughts, the echo of Cavil’s kiss still pressed against my lips like a ghost I couldn’t quite shake.
Marmalade had claimed his favorite spot beside the register, curled into a perfect crescent of fluff, his amber eyes tracking my every move with the kind of detached judgment only cats seemed capable of. I checked the register again—though I already knew the numbers were right—fingers brushing over wrinkled receipts and the cool edge of a forgotten coin. My hands trembled slightly, the weight of tonight catching up with me in small, quiet ways.
Behind me, Cavil moved without a sound. He didn’t ask what to do—he just did it. A book left on a chair was returned to the shelf, a frame straightened, a chair tucked in. He moved like he belonged there. Like he’d always belonged. And somehow, that simple presence calmed something jagged inside me.
As I rounded the counter, I caught sight of him by the door, pulling my coat from the hook. He held it up wordlessly, a quiet smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.
“Looks like you’re ready to go,” he said, voice low and steady.
“Thanks.” I slipped into the sleeves, the familiar fabric comforting against the chill that had crept in. His hands didn’t linger, but I still felt the warmth of them.
We stood there for a moment longer than necessary, neither of us quite moving toward the door.
“Hey…” I started, nerves curling in my throat. “I don’t know if you’re hungry, but… I was going to make grilled cheese?”
He paused, hand resting against the frame like he might say no.
“Yeah,” he said, eyes meeting mine with that quiet surety I was learning to recognize. “I’d like that.”
I blinked. “Really?”
A faint shrug. “Grilled cheese is hard to turn down.”
Something fluttered in my chest—relief, yes, but also a kind of fragile hope I hadn’t dared hold in years.He stayed.
“Okay,” I said, smiling just a little. “It won’t take long.”
And maybe, for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t just closing the store—I was opening a door to something new.
I slid into the driver’s seat, hands trembling just enough to make the keys slip once before I managed to fit them into the ignition. Cavil pulled in behind me, headlights sweeping across the empty lot like searchlights. His car looked hulking in the dark—quiet, steady, and justthere. Like him.
The engine came to life, and so did the speakers—blasting a chipper, overenthusiastic rendition ofJingle Bell Rock. I flinched, turning the volume up instead of down, like noise might muffle the thoughts clawing at my chest.
