The sun is dipping by the time we reach my apartment building.The day shouldn’t have felt this long or short at the same time.I don’t want it to end.None of them look ready for it either.
At my door, I hesitate.
Finn shifts closer.“Hey.You okay?”
Atlas straightens behind him, waiting.
Kael watches me like he knows the question before I say it.
“I...”
My throat tightens.
God, I hate needing anything.
But I swallow and say, barely above a whisper:
“Will you come in?”
The silence that follows isn’t hesitation.
It’s heat.
Soft.
Slow.
Thick.
Finn’s breath hitches.
Atlas’s eyes darken.
Kael’s expression barely moves—but everything about him leans in.
Finn’s voice breaks first.“Yeah.Of course.”
Atlas murmurs, “If you want us.”
Kael says nothing for a long moment.Just searches my face.
Then, quietly:
“We’re here.”
I unlock the door with a shaking hand.
They follow me inside.
The air shifts.
Something is about to happen.
Something inevitable.
Something earned.
Something I’m not sure I’m ready for but want more than I want to breathe.
