***
~~DANTE~~
***
I drove slower than usual because I didn’t want the moment to end too fast. I needed time to explain myself properly and fix at least some of the damage I had caused.
Zara kept her face turned to the window, her jaw clenched like she was holding back fresh tears, and I kept glancing at her every few seconds without meaning to.
She pretended not to notice, but she definitely did, because after a while she sighed and turned slightly—not fully facing me, but enough to show she was actually listening.
I breathed in slowly and tried to find words that wouldn’t sound completely stupid. “I know it came out wrong, Zazzz. I’m not proud of how things went tonight, and I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
She didn’t say anything, so I kept going, because if I had stopped, I probably w
