Time kept moving at its own gentle pace inside the safe house. No deadlines, no threats, no urgent calls... Only the quiet flow of days that stretched long and peaceful. And as the hours turned into more days, the space between Cole and Elara began to shrink, not in haste, but in the slow, natural way trust grows.
They still kept their separate rooms, still respected the clear lines of privacy, but those lines felt softer now. There were no sudden changes, no big moments of confession. Just small, quiet shifts that neither of them rushed to name.
In the mornings, it was no longer just greetings and quick meals. Sometimes Elara would wake early and find Cole already in the kitchen, and instead of leaving him to it, she would pull out a chair and help set up the table, making toast, or sti
