She’d brushed past him in doorways that were suddenly too narrow. Strategically bent over to pick up papers she hadn’t dropped byaccident, fully aware of the way her pyjama bottoms clung and moulded to the curve of her buttocks. She remembered the sharp, involuntary indrawn breath, remembered how he’d gone utterly still behind her, like a man gripping the edge of a cliff.
She had pretended not to notice how his eyes lingered on the shadow of her nipples through think cotton or the fact that his showers lasted a long time.
"I keep thinking about that day in the office," he said bringing her back to earth, his voice was a low rumble stripped of pretence. "I've always been about protecting myself. Controlling what I can, keeping things neat. So, cutting you out of my life seemed to be the best way to protect myself. But after you walked out, everything felt wrong. Everything I did felt…useless."
Rune's lips parted, but no words came out.
He went on quietly, almost to himself. "It took me forever to figure it out. I'm... a bit emotionally stunted, you know? It's like watching everyone else live life on another planet. Hurting you..." He gave a short, breathless laugh. "Hurting you only hurt me in the end. Losing you was like losing something I couldn't live without. A part of myself I didn't even realise was missing until you were gone."
The car fell silent except for the hum of the tyres. Rune stared out at the dusky horizon, her reflection overlapping his in the glass. She didn't speak-because if she did, she wasn't sure her voice would hold steady.
The rest of the trip passed in silence. She made for the stairs as soon as the front door opened. Thoughts roiled in her head as she took a quick shower. She was still distracted by the time she was dressed.
She came down the stairs, one hand lightly grazing the banister. The black sequined dress clung to her curves and shimmered with each step, the low neckline catching the light like liquid midnight. Her bump was just beginning to show-sixteen weeks-and somehow, it made her look even more beautiful. She'd paired the dress with a swipe of bright red lipstick.
Dorian looked up from his laptop at the dining table and completely lost the plot. His cashmere sweater suddenly felt too warm, the air too thin.
"I should come with you," he said finally, his voice rougher than intended.
"You don't have to," she replied, reaching for her clutch. "Eleri's picking me up."
"I insist," he said, already standing.
Rune arched a brow. "Your insisting usually means trouble."
He gave a faint, lopsided smile. "That's my middle name."
***
The knock came just as Rune slipped her hoop earrings on.
"Ready?" Eleri called, stepping in, wrapped in a forest-green coat.
Before Rune could answer, Dorian appeared from the kitchen. "Actually, I'm coming as well."
Eleri blinked. "Oh, you don't have to..."
"I insist," he said smoothly, already taking wallet from the bowl by the door.
Eli was outside with the car, chatting idly with a neighbour. When he spotted them, he grinned. "Look at that...two chauffeurs for the price of one."
Eleri laughed and linked arms with Rune. "That’s because we are worth it."
The drive was filled with chatter-mostly Eleri and Eli trading jokes, the easy warmth between them drawing smiles from Rune despite Dorian's silence.
When they pulled up to the house where the get-together was being held, the air buzzed with laughter and music. Dorian let Eli take off because they didn't know how long the party would go on. Fairy lights tangled through the trees; someone had lit a bonfire out back. Dorian's expression implied attending a funeral would be more pleasurable as he followed Rune inside.
Then, he slipped effortlessly into his charming persona-the practiced smile, the polite handshake, the tone that made people lean in and listen. Rune's friends gravitated towards him, moths to the flame. All except Kai.
Kai's gaze flicked between Rune and Dorian, as if measuring the distance between them. He was good-looking in a lanky, boyish way, but standing next to Dorian, he looked like a washed-out photograph.
Rune made the introductions. "This is Dorian."
Kai nodded stiffly. "We've heard a lot about you."
"I hope not too much," Dorian replied, all polite humour, his arm resting just a little too easily along the back of Rune's chair.
He stuck to her like glue. A hand at the small of her back when she moved, a thumb brushing her wrist when he passed her a drink, his laughter overlapping hers as though staking a claim with every casual gesture. He draped his thick woollen coat over her shoulders when she shivered in the cold. She had to stop him from buttoning it up to theneck. But it also took everything in her not to snuggle and breathe in his familiar citrusy scent.
