Fred felt the request hang in the air, a simple question that carried the weight of everything they had just acknowledged.
Her hand was warm on his, a quiet assurance that shattered his internal barriers.
He looked at her, truly looked at her, seeing past the weary resolve to the spark of hope in her eyes.
The idea of escaping the stifling quiet of the apartment, of walking with her, was irresistible.
A genuine, easy smile touched his lips, a rare sight that softened the hard angles of his face.
“I’d like that very much, Annabel,” he said.
She smiled back, a bright, relieved expression.
“Good,” she said. “But first, we both need to lose the current wardrobe. I can’t be seen in this robe, and you can’t be seen looking like you just fought a war in a library.”
He glanced down at h
