ZARA:
The clinic felt warmer than usual that morning. Maybe it was the sunlight streaming through the tall windows, or maybe it was because Xena was finally going home. Her laughter carried through the corridor — free, alive — and it made me smile without even realizing it. I had missed this sound. The rhythm of normalcy.
Dr. Barkley had cleared her after her final check, and I promised to drop by her place later with some herbs for her recovery. She’d teased me, of course — about Ragnar, mostly — and I’d rolled my eyes, pretending not to blush.
But gods, I did.
Just remembering his words, the way his eyes softened when he said “You’re my priority,” made my stomach flutter in ways it shouldn’t. He was calm, dependable — the kind of warmth that sneaks into your bones.
I should’ve stopp
