Page 191 of Axis of Fire

So we made a deal.

Five brave actions a day.

Every single day, we had to do five things we normally wouldn't have dared to do.

No exceptions.

Raise your hand first when you know the answer but hate being the center of attention.

Wear the outfit you actually love without caring how much you stand out.

Say yes to an opportunity that terrifies you.

Confess your feelings first without fearing rejection.

We played Count to Five for almost nine months.

For Dwayne, it became part of who he was.

He genuinely started believing in his own fearlessness.

In his own invincibility.

But me...

I was far more stubborn.

Even after all that time, I kept slipping back into my old habits.

Not completely.

I wasn't the same person I'd once been.

But I also hadn't become the person I secretly wanted to be.

“I think it's pointless,” I admitted quietly.

“I don't,” Dwayne replied without hesitation.

“I used to think it was stupid too,” Gwen admitted with a nod. “But it actually works.”

She looked me straight in the eyes.

“Ria... you need this.”

I let out a heavy sigh.

“It was easier back then because I had all of you beside me,” I whispered. “Now… I’ll be alone.”

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have Airis,” Mike pointed out.

He immediately earned the most skeptical look I could manage.

“And why exactly should that change anything?”

“He seems like a genuinely good guy,” Mike said with a shrug. “And I know how to read people.”

Which was true.