“You’re still here,” she says softly.
The words hit harder than they should.
I huff a quiet breath. “Barely.”
Her fingers curl slightly against mine.
“But you stayed.”
Neither of us says the obvious.
So did she.
After being hunted.
After being shot.
After every chance to walk away.
Still here.
Still fighting.
Still beside me.
The convoy below us splits in two directions.
Lucas mutters something under his breath into comms.
I barely hear him.
Because Olivia’s closer again.
Not physically this time.
Something else.
Something worse.
Something deeper.
“Russ,” she whispers.
The way she says my name now feels different.
No distance left in it.
No pretending.
I turn toward her fully.
She’s already looking at me.
And there it is again.
That pull.
That impossible moment where the rest of the world fades out around her.
