We stood there longer than either of us acknowledged, suspended in a quiet that didn’t feel heavy at all. The soft lighting in the corridor cast a glow across Ray’s face, softening the sharp lines, making him look less like a man feared by entire cities and more like someone who could belong anywhere but chose to stand here with me.
His gaze held mine for a moment too long—warm, steady, expectant in a way he didn’t try to hide. He wasn’t leaning in, wasn’t reaching for me. He didn’t assume anything. He just waited, giving me more room than anyone like him was supposed to give.
And maybe that was why I moved.
It wasn’t planned. If I had paused even a second longer, I would have overthought it, talked myself out of it, reminded myself who he was and who I was supposed to be in the middle
