Ember's POV
My chest felt stifled with the words I wanted to say but couldn't. I hadn't expected Killian to be amiable towards me but the coldness he was showing me was something I hadn't expected either.
Why kiss me twice if he would later wind up so frigid?
At least before now, all I had was wishes. I lived in a fantasy, wishing he would one day notice me but I had never hoped die what I couldn't have, until he'd shown me and cracked a small glimpse of hope in my heart by making me feel seen.
He stood with his back to me, shoulders tense and rigid, rearranging papers that so obviously didn't need to be arranged with deliberate movements, like he had to keep his hands busy to avoid talking to me.
The silence stretched longer than it should have, pressing heavily on me like a smother
