We may be separatedin theory, but not in the traditional sense.
Not when Gabriel still lives with us.
I swallow around the tight lump forming in my throat, pushing on before the silence turns too heavy.
“He moved back to Spain after we split. Tried to build a new life there. But the distance from Ana… it was too much. He couldn’t stay away. Now he lives between Spain and New York.”
I pause, letting the weight of that settle between us.
“He’s a great father.”
And husband, I almost add, but I bite it back. Tuck it somewhere I hope Alex won’t reach.
The fact that we’restilllegally married and Gabriel sleeps under this roof?
Yeah.
That’s a truth I’m not ready to unpack.
It’s complicated.
Hoping that’s enough to satisfy his curiosity, I reach up and trace the outline of Alex’s ear with the tip of my finger, letting a soft smile play on my lips.
But, of course… curiosity always wins.
“What happened?” he asks.
The sincerity in his voice hits me harder than I expect.
I cough, trying to disguise the hitch in my throat as emotion threatens to spill over.
“I honestly don’t know,” I whisper.
And, mercifully, he lets it go.
His dazzling eyes fall to half-mast as my fingers trail lower, dragging across the fabric stretched across his chest, lingering just enough to make him shiver.
He exhales, slow and uneven—somewhere between a sigh and a plea.
I lean in, press a gentle kiss to the angle of his jaw, and whisper, “Stay the night with me.”
ALEX
And just like that,I forget how to breathe.
“Elijah—”
“Alex—”
Our names stumble over each other, clashing midair like we’re both reaching for something we don’t quite know how to hold.
“Elijah,” I say again, more certain this time, though my voice is still rough. Unsteady.
“Mm-hmm...” he hums, chasing after my lips.
The sound nearly undoes me.
He pulls away, just a fraction, but I immediately miss the warmth of his mouth.
