GABRIELLE’S POV
“I see….a man with many secrets who fears nothing but his emotions,” I said softly.
I paused, checking if he’d react to my words.
He only nodded. “Go on.”
My eyes drifted over his reflection—his jaw, tight with restraint… his shoulders, broad and tense… his eyes, dark and unreadable even as they held mine.
“I see someone who carries everything alone,” I continued quietly. “Someone who’s just as damaged as I am, if not more. Someone who shuts the world out because it’s easier than letting anyone in.”
There was no reaction from him.
“And what else?” he murmured.
My chest rose and fell, nerves fluttering inside me.
“I see… a man who scares me sometimes,” I whispered, “but not because he’s dangerous. Because I don’t know what I mean to him. And I’m afraid to ask.”
