My heart stutters. "For me?"
"Rosa said you'd been spending time here. I wanted to see where you went when you disappeared from the cameras."
"About those cameras,"
"We'll discuss them later." His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand. "Right now, I just want to sit here with you. Is that... is that okay?"
I should say no. Should maintain the boundaries I've been trying to build.
Instead, I lean my head against his shoulder.
"Yeah," I whisper. "That's okay."
We stay like that for a long time. Two people who shouldn't fit together, finding something like peace in the quiet of the library.
His leg doesn't shake again.
* * *
Later that night, I find myself standing outside Salvatore's door.
I haven't been here since the shooting. Haven't sought him out like this before. But something has shifted between us, and I can't pretend otherwise.
I knock before I can talk myself out of it.
"Come in."
His voice is stronger than I expected. That's good. That's... good.
I push open the door.
He's propped up in bed, laptop balanced on his thighs, looking far too composed for a man who shared his deepest vulnerabilities with me hours ago. The room is dim, lit only by the lamp on his nightstand and the glow of his screen. He looks up when I enter.
"Valentina."
The way he says my name, like it's a complete sentence, like it means something, makes my skin prickle.
"Valentina," I repeat, mimicking his serious tone. "Why do you have to be so formal all the time? It's okay to let your guard down occasionally."
His brow furrows. "Did you not want me to say your name?"
"That's not—" I stop, take a breath. "Look... I need to talk to you about something."
He closes the laptop and gives me his full attention. I immediately wish he hadn't.
"I have to go somewhere on Saturday."
"No."
"No?" I blink. "I didn't even tell you where."
"Doesn't matter where." His voice is flat, final. "You don't leave this house until after the wedding."
I stare at him. "Is there a reason you didn't die the other day besides to torment me?"
The question hangs in the air between us. His expression doesn't change, but something flickers in his eyes.
"Is that what you would have wanted?"
