The ride back to Manhattan passed in near silence. It wasn’t uncomfortable or hostile. Just the kind that settles after too much has been said without either person fully understanding the consequences of it yet.
The city blurred beyond the tinted windows in streaks of gold and white as the car cut through late-night traffic. The lingering warmth of the gala still clung faintly to Alex’s skin beneath the cool air conditioning. Across from her, Callan sat with his tie loosened and his attention fixed somewhere beyond the glass, though she could feel the awareness between them like a living thing occupying the space alongside them.
Neither of them mentioned the balcony. Neither of them mentioned his brother. And neither of them acknowledged the fact that ever since they’d walked back into
