Nevara
His head turned.
Our eyes met.
And the weight in my chest doubled—then halved—then did something strange and unnamable as his expression softened.
He smiled.
Not awkwardly. Not guiltily. Just… gently.
Like there was no reason at all for my heart to be pounding. Like I hadn’t just walked in on a moment I didn’t understand.
“Come here,” he said, voice even, inviting. “I want you to meet someone.”
I swallowed hard. The lump in my throat didn’t budge.
Still, my feet moved.
One step. Two. Each one slower than the last. The closer I got, the more ridiculous I felt. The warmth of my revelation from earlier still clung to me like static, but it fizzled a little with every echo of the woman’s laugh and the memory of her hands on his back.
By the time I reached them, I was flushed
