Page 418 of Axis of Fire

Gwen wrote about everything that had been happening back home.

Little moments from their lives.

The newest episodes of Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir—a relationship she worried about even more than her own.

She even praised Airis.

That part caught me completely off guard.

Yet somehow...

It warmed something deep inside me.

She also mentioned that sending my favorite sweets had been Airis's idea.

He'd wanted to see whether they could survive magical transportation.

Tarven had carried everything over as a favor.

Before I realized it, a smile had spread across my face.

Thank goodness no one was there to witness it.

Because I probably looked exactly like what I was—

A hopeless girl hopelessly in love.

The realization stole the air from my lungs.

I froze.

Damn.

That was the first time I'd admitted it.

Even if only to myself.

I quickly shook my head, trying to scatter the thought before it could settle.

Then I reached for the second envelope.

Dwayne.

Dwayne had actually kept track of every brave thing he'd done for our Count to Five challenge.

He'd listed each one in detail.

Reading them filled me with a quiet sense of guilt.

Unlike him...

I'd let fear win far too often.

He also told me things with Lars were slowly getting better.

Apparently, Lars had even started asking him questions from time to time.

That alone felt like progress.