Warmth bloomed in my chest. “It must’ve been hard.”
“It was, but not because I was worried about him finding out,” he said. “I just kept thinking you'd use that month to realize you were better off without me. That you'd choose to leave. And if you had...” He trailed off, shaking his head. “I don't know what I would’ve done.”
“Well, I didn't leave,” I said softly. “I'm here. And I'm not going anywhere.”
His eyes searched mine, like he was looking for any hint of doubt or uncertainty. Whatever he saw must have satisfied him, because he pulled me closer then, tucking me against his chest.I felt his lips press against the top of my head, and I closed my eyes, breathing in his scent.
“I should let you shower and eat something,” he murmured into my hair. “You must be starving."
“I am, actually.” My stomach chose that exact moment to growl, and we both laughed.
“Come on.” He stood, pulling me up with him. “I'll have the kitchen send something up while we shower. What do you want?”
“Everything,” I said. "Pancakes, eggs, bacon, fruit, coffee—”
“Everything. Got it.” He was already pulling out his phone, a small smile playing on his lips.
I looked at him for a moment, this man who'd watched me and protected me. This man who treated me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.
“Julian?” I said softly.
He looked up from his phone. “Yeah?”
“I know I already said this, but… thank you. For everything.”
His expression softened, and he crossed back to me, tilting my chin up with his fingers. “You don't need to thank me,” he said. “Helping you and taking care of you isn't an obligation, Violet. It's a privilege.”
Then he kissed me again, slower this time, and I felt myself melting into him. When we finally broke apart, we were both breathless.
“Shower,” he said, his voice rougher than before. “Before I forget about food entirely and keep you in this bed all fucking day.”
“That doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world,” I said, quirking a brow.
His gaze heated. “No, it doesn’t, but we have a plane to catch in a few hours, and I promised the Council I'd escort you toCalifornia.” He stepped back reluctantly. “So get that perfect ass of yours in the shower. Now. Before I change my mind.”
I laughed and headed toward the bathroom, feeling lighter than I had in months. Maybe even years.
As I reached the doorway, I looked back at him. He was watching me with that intense gaze again, but there was something different in it now. Something softer. More open.
“Are you coming?” I asked.
His lips curved into a slow smile. “Thought you'd never ask.”
45
Violet
The rental carpulled into my mother's driveway just as darkness settled over the neighborhood. The house looked warm and welcoming in the evening light, windows glowing golden, the porch light casting a soft halo over the pale yellow siding and slightly overgrown garden.
Julian cut the engine, and for a moment, we just sat there in silence, looking out the windshield.
“This is it,” I said quietly. “Home.”
It felt strange saying that word. I'd only been gone for a few months, but with everything that had happened—the Selection, the investigation, Cherry's arrest, falling for Julian—it felt like an entire lifetime had passed since I last walked through that front door.
Julian studied the house with the same intense focus he applied to everything. “It looks nice," he said. “Cozy.”
“You said the same thing about my dorm,” I said, lips curving in a teasing smile. “It’s rich-people-talk for ‘small’, right?”
