"She's different," she said quietly. Zeus's ear twitched, listening. "This whole thing is different."
He huffed softly.
"I think—" Maddox stopped, the words catching in her throat. She made herself say them anyway, even if only Zeus would hear. "I think I'm falling in love with her."
The admission hung in the air between them. Zeus looked at her with those steady brown eyes that had seen her at her worst and never judged her for it.
"Yeah, I know," Maddox continued, her voice rough. "It's too much too fast. What if I need her more than she needs me? What if she sees how broken I actually am and realizes she made a mistake?"
Zeus leaned harder against her leg.
"What if I can't be what she needs?" The fear felt sharper in her chest now that she'd given it voice. "Leah left because I couldn't let her in. And I'm letting Jade in, but what if that's not enough? What if I'm still too damaged?"
Zeus whined softly, and Maddox realized her hand had tightened in his fur. She loosened her grip, smoothing down the hair she'd ruffled.
"But she knows," she said, more to herself than to him. "She knows about Titan. She knows about the PTSD. She saw me lose it today at work, and she didn't run." Maddox paused, letting that truth settle. "She knows the damage, and she's choosing me anyway."
That should terrify her. Part of it did, actually. But another part—the part that had reached for Jade in the K-9 vehicle without thinking—felt something else. Relief, maybe, or hope. Perhaps both.
Zeus's tail thumped again, and Maddox managed a small smile. "You like Jade, too, don't you?"
His ears perked up at Jade's name, and the smile on Maddox's face grew slightly wider despite the anxiety twisting in her gut.
“Yeah, me too.”
She stood, and Zeus rose with her, following her to the door. She crouched down, running both hands through his fur, memorizing the solid comfort of him.
"I'll be back later," she said. "Or tomorrow morning. Don't judge."
Zeus's expression—and Maddox could read him better than anyone—seemed distinctly non-judgmental. He'd always been better at accepting things as they were than she had. Maddox grabbed her keys and headed out, locking the door behind her.
The drive to Jade's apartment was familiar now; she'd made it three times this week already. Down Cottonwood to Fifth, left on Maple, right on Cedar, then pull into the apartment complex with the blue trim that desperately needed repainting.
She knew the route, knew the parking spot she preferred near the back entrance, knew the stairwell that smelled faintly of cleaning products and the third step that squeaked.
This had become a routine without her consciously realizing. The thought made her hands tighten on the steering wheel. She parked and killed the engine, but didn't get out immediately. Just sat there in the darkness, watching the lit windows of Jade's building.
This wasn't about sex; that wasn't why her heart was racing. It had everything to do with showing up after breaking down, about being seen at her most vulnerable and choosing to come back anyway.
It was about not running, even when everything in her screamed to hide.
Maddox took a steadying breath and got out of her truck. The evening air was cooler now, carrying the smell of someone'sbarbecue from a few buildings over. The kind of normal, mundane activities that continued while she stood on the precipice of something that felt too big to name.
She climbed the stairs, her footsteps echoing in the stairwell. Up to the second floor, turn left, third door on the right. She'd been here enough times that she didn't need to check the numbers anymore.
Maddox stood outside Jade's door and just breathed for a moment, the same technique that kept her grounded when everything felt like too much. She knocked decisively, and the door opened almost immediately, as if Jade had been waiting for her by the door. She stood there in yoga pants and an oversized sweater that hung off one shoulder, and her hair was down and still slightly damp like she'd showered recently.
"Hey," Jade said softly.
"Hey." Maddox's voice came out softer than she expected.
"Come in."
Maddox stepped inside, and Jade closed the door behind her. The apartment smelled like jasmine tea and something reminiscent of banana bread baking, the kind of domestic comfort Maddox hadn't let herself want in years.
They stood there in the small entryway, neither moving closer. Jade was giving her space and letting her set the pace, always reading her, always knowing what she needed even when Maddox didn’t know herself.
“How are you doing?” Jade asked, cutting through the small talk.
