"Lindsay!" Henry calls from the living room, voice bright and urgent. "Come back, I'm losing!"
The spell breaks.
Arthur steps back immediately, control snapping into place like armor.
I do too, exhaling shakily, gripping the edge of the counter to steady myself.
We both smile—small, careful, like nothing happened.
But my pulse doesn't lie.
"You should go," Arthur says, voice even. "Before he accuses you of abandoning him mid-battle."
I nod, not trusting my voice yet.
As I turn to leave, I catch the way Arthur watches me go—like he's cataloging something he doesn't know how to name yet.
I head back to the living room, heart still racing, and sink down beside Henry.
He hands me the controller without looking away from the screen. "Okay, this boss is brutal. We need a plan."
I force myself to focus.
But even as we strategize, even as Henry laughs and the game plays out in vibrant color, I can still feel it.
The almost.
The not-yet.
The realization that I'm not just living in Arthur Dupree's house.
I'm falling for him.
And I have no idea what to do about it.
