I didn’t move when Ryan came into the living room, I just froze, feeling the heat of his presence before he even said a word. He didn’t rush, didn’t speak loudly, he just stood there a few feet away and I could feel him watching every move I made.
“I need to talk to you,” he said quietly, his voice steady, not demanding but full of weight.
I glanced up, trying to look calm, pretending I wasn’t shaking. “About what?”
“You know what,” he said, leaning slightly against the wall, not closing the distance completely, but close enough that my chest tightened. “We can’t keep pretending.”
“I said we can’t,” I muttered, taking a careful step back, trying to make my boundaries clear without making the situation explode.
“You’re here, I’m here, and pretending doesn’t work anymore,” he said, each
