The city had surrendered to a deep, velvet quiet by the time Leo drove Amelia home. Streetlights glowed like low-hanging moons, casting pools of pale gold across the asphalt as the car glided through the familiar grid of the neighborhood. The world outside felt slower, more deliberate—as if it were intentionally holding its breath, allowing them to keep this moment just a little longer before the day reclaimed them.
Leo parked gently in front of Amelia’s apartment. He cut the engine, but neither of them made a move to leave. The sudden silence that wrapped around them wasn't empty; it was warm and pressurized, a sanctuary where the only sounds were the ticking of the cooling metal and the synchronized rhythm of their breathing.
Amelia leaned back against the headrest, a tired but radia
