ARI'S POINT OF VIEW
By the time Adrian and I finished going through the campaign proposals, the office had emptied out. The city lights shimmered through the tall glass windows like tiny diamonds scattered across the horizon. I loved this hour—the stillness, the way everything seemed to breathe slower after the chaos of the day. Yet tonight, there was a strange weight in the air, one that made my chest tighten.
Adrian was standing near the window, his hands tucked into his pockets as he looked out at the skyline. His tie hung loosely around his neck, and a few strands of his dark hair had fallen over his forehead. He turned slightly, catching my gaze, and smiled that soft, disarming smile that I’d grown to dread and crave all at once.
“You look tired,” he said.
I gave a light shrug. “I
