Simon's POV
The air still smelled like ink and dust.
And her.
Jade had just left the archive room, shoulders tense, jaw tight, like kissing me again had made her even more furious than before.
Which, to be fair,was probably true.
She said it didn’t fix anything.
And she was right.
But it didn’t break anything either.
Not like last time.
This time, I’d stayed in the room.
That had to count for something.
I stayed at the archive table for a few minutes longer, pretending to review courier logs while my brain tried to untangle the tangle she’d left behind in my chest.
The worst part?
That kiss was still humming under my skin. Not the heat of it. The weight.
Like something had clicked into place that neither of us had the guts to name out loud.
And maybe we weren’t ready.
But
