The silence in the bookstore lingered long after Happing had left. The tension in the air, thick and unsettled, slowly began to dissipate as I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Lucas stood nearby, his body still tense, his eyes dark with something I couldn’t quite place. But there was a new energy between us, a shift that neither of us had expected.
I didn’t know what to say—how could I? We had just been through an intense moment, one that left me both shaken and strangely... relieved. But there was something in the air now, something unsaid between us that was demanding to be addressed.
“Are you okay?” Lucas’s voice broke the silence, rough around the edges.
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure I entirely believed my own response. "I’m fine. I mean... I’m fine now."
He did
