Page 294 of Axis of Fire

It was beginning to feel dangerously close.

“You know why I love this installation so much?” Airis asked quietly.

“Why?”

“Because it gives me hope.”

His gaze lingered on me.

“Hope that every person is capable of love.”

A small pause.

“Even me.”

For a moment, my heartbeat seemed louder than the music itself.

As though it was trying to prove it was more alive than the rest of me.

Meanwhile, my mind kept replaying Airis’s words,

Searching for the hidden catch.

Finding none.

As if he sensed that, Airis stopped moving.

But he didn't let go of me.

Our eyes met.

The tension between us became something else.

Something far too dangerous to put into words.

“Take a deep breath,” he said softly.

“Then let it out slowly.

Three times.”

He waited a moment before adding,

“It'll help you relax.

Your body will realize there's nothing left to fear.”

And I listened.

Airis waited patiently.

A few breaths later, the tight knot inside my chest finally began to loosen.

“Better already.”

He gently drew me a little closer.

I was fully prepared for every bit of that tension to return.