Close enough to see the tension still etched into his face.
The exhaustion he’s trying to hide.
“Then stop acting like it.”
His eyes search mine.
And there’s something there.
Something deeper.
Stronger.
“You first,” he says quietly.
A beat.
Then—
I shake my head slightly.
“Not happening.”
“Didn’t think so.”
We’re close now.
Too close to pretend this is just about the mission.
Too close to ignore what’s been building between us since the beginning.
“You almost didn’t make it,” I say.
“You did,” he counters.
“That’s not the point.”
“It is to me.”
My breath stutters.
Just a little.
He notices.
Of course he does.
His hand lifts slowly—giving me time to pull away if I want to.
I don’t.
His fingers brush my jaw.
Gentle.
So different from everything else around us.
“You’re still here,” he murmurs.
