|Katherine|
The entire two-hour drive passed in silence. Neither of us spoke; we didn’t need to. When we finally pulled up the long driveway, headlights sweeping across the manicured lawns and towering columns of the mansion, I pushed the door open first. The crisp evening air rushed against my skin as I stepped out. Javier followed a moment later.
I caught the way his eyes roamed. It wasn’t just looking; it was drinking in every detail with the quiet awe of someone standing in front of something unfamiliar. He had done the same earlier when we drove through town, his gaze slipping out the window like that of a tourist piecing together a place he’d only ever heard of.
I tilted my head at him, curiosity slipping past my restraint.
“Is this your first time here?”
He loosened the buttons
