“That’s because I knew I wasn’t alone.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
But I didn’t take them back.
Something shifted between us.
Not sudden.
Not sharp.
Just… deeper.
He stepped closer.
Slow.
Giving me time.
Space.
A choice.
I didn’t step back.
“You’re different now,” he said quietly.
“I feel different.”
“Good.”
My heart started to race again.
But not from fear.
From him.
From this.
From everything building between us that neither of us was pretending wasn’t there anymore.
“I don’t want to be the girl who just survived,” I said.
“Then don’t be.”
His hand brushed mine.
Light.
Intentional.
“I want more than that,” I whispered.
His fingers closed around mine.
Warm.
Steady.
