As Lucius guided Catherine back to home, the dim yellow glow of the streetlights reflected off the wet pavement, creating a surreal calmness in the night. The air was thick with quiet, almost too quiet, and the world seemed to shrink around them as they walked side by side, each step echoing in the silence. Catherine felt lighter, as if the weight she had carried all day was being lifted, but the tightness in her chest from unspoken worries about work remained.
Lucius walked close, his tall figure casting a shadow over her, and despite his silence, Catherine could feel the intensity of his presence. She wasn’t sure whether it was just the weight of the evening or something more, but a sense of restlessness stirred within her. The absence of words between them felt strangely palpable, as t
