The gala’s glitter still clung to my skin like dust when we slipped into the waiting car. The night outside pulsed with camera flashes, but the moment the door shut, the chaos dimmed into silence — just the hum of the engine, the low thrum of my own heartbeat, and Adrian’s presence beside me, coiled tight with restrained energy.
Neither of us spoke.
The chauffeur pulled away, city lights bleeding across the tinted glass. My reflection flickered — wide eyes, flushed cheeks, lips parted with words I couldn’t form. Adrian sat beside me, too still, his jaw hard, his hand clenched against his thigh as though he was holding something inside.
The air between us wasn’t quiet. It was thick. Electric.
Finally, I whispered, “You didn’t have to do that.”
He turned his head, eyes locking onto me i
