Eventually, the credits roll and the late-afternoon light slants across the living room floor. Neither of us wants to move, but reality waits on the other side ofthe door.
Work tomorrow. People. Responsibility.
Leo exhales, reluctant. “I should go.”
I untangle myself from his side, then walk him to the door, every step a small tug in my chest. He pauses there, looking down at me, eyes soft in a way that makes me want to undo every boundary I just set.
Instead, he leans forward, pressing a kiss to my forehead—gentle, grounding, nothing more.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he says.
It’s simple, but it feels like a promise.
When the door clicks shut behind him, the apartment is quiet again, but not empty.
Not anymore.
TWENTY-NINE
TORI
The office is blissfullyquiet for a late morning. The heater rattles to life, pushing warmth into the corners, and the faint smell of burnt coffee drifts down the hall from the faculty lounge.
I’m halfway through an email to a panicked student begging to swap into a calculus section that’s already three seats past capacity when a voice I haven’t heard in months cuts through the air.
“Hey, Tori.”
My fingers still on the keyboard. For a split second, I think I’ve imagined it. But when I look up, there he is.
Chase.
Standing just inside the doorway like he belongs here, but not quite. His hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, his shoulders set, his eyes—calm.
Not cold, not furious, not the sharp edge I braced myself for the last time he showed up. Just… calm.
“Hello,” I say, my voice even. Not defensive. A little wary, but not brittle.
I promised myself I wouldn’t let him shake me anymore.
“How are you?” he asks.
I blink. Not the script I expected.
No accusations. No demands.
Just words that sound simple, ordinary, almost too plain to come from his mouth.
My guard goes up anyway. He’s never led with “how are you” in his life.
“I’m… fine, thank you. Can I help you with something?”
He shifts on his feet, glances at the empty chair across from my desk. Nervous.Nervous?
I can’t remember the last time I saw Chase look anything but sure of himself, cocky, or angry.
This is new. Or maybe it’s an act.
Maybe he’s calculating how long it will take Leo to step out of his office and haul him out by the collar if he raises his voice.
