“Maeve.”
“Lucian.”
We both said it at the same time.
Then silence.
It stretched between us like a wire pulled too tight, waiting to snap. The air felt heavy, humming with something I couldn’t name. His gaze found mine, and I froze. I should have looked away, I should have been angry—furious, even—but my body refused to move.
We just stood there, locked in that unbearable stillness, each waiting for the other to break it.
“Lucian…” Lara’s voice finally cut through the tension, and I almost sagged with relief. I’d been seconds away from exploding.
He blinked and turned to her, though his eyes flickered back to me once, quick and unreadable.
“How’re you doing?” Lara asked lightly, her tone so casual it startled me. She was the first person I’d ever heard speak to him that way—without
