His fingers lace through mine like it’s natural.
Like it’s always been this way.
And I—I let him.
Because the truth is?
I haven’t felt this good in a really long time.
Light.
Happy.
Wanted.
“Hadley,” he says quietly, his voice deeper now in the hush of the evening, “I don’t want tonight to end.”
My heart stutters.
Because I know exactly what he means.
And the scary part?
I feel it too.
“I—I don’t either,” I admit.
We walk a few more steps, the gravel crunching under our feet.
“Look,” he starts, “I know we have things to talk about?—”
My stomach tightens immediately.
The Fates.
The app.
Date to Mate.
His rejection.
Mine.
All of it.
Too much.
Too soon.
So I squeeze his hand, stopping him gently.
“How about,” I say softly, glancing up at him, “we forget about all that tonight?”
He frowns slightly.
“All what?”
“The magical matchmaking dating app,” I clarify. “The Fates. Mating.” I shrug one shoulder. “All of it. Just for tonight.”
