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All I see is her.
Then the voices cut through the noise.
“So beautiful…”
“She’s stunning…”
And then…
“GO AWAY!”
“LEAVE KHAOS ALONE!”
“ATTENTION SEEKER!”
I feel her fingers tighten around mine.
Just a little.
Most people wouldn’t notice.
But I’ve learned to speak the language of her silences, and I know what that tiny movement means.
That hurt her and she’s trying not to show it.
I remember something she told me days ago.
“People think being cold means you don’t feel. They’re wrong. It just means you learned to survive winter.”
I stop walking.
She turns to me, confused.
Without saying a word, I adjust my grip and lace our fingers together.
Every single one.
No hiding.
No pretending.
No giving the world an excuse to gossip about how I’m hiding us.
Gasps ripple through the crowd. Camera flashes explode around us.
Artemis looks down at our joined hands before slowly lifting her eyes to mine.
“You know they’re going to hate me more now.”
“They already hate me.”
“They don’t.”
“Some have hated me since I told ASTER to kiss my ass.”
A tiny smile tugs at her lips.
“There it is,” I murmur.
