NIKO.
I didn’t remember how I got her to my room. One moment, we were standing in the quiet hallway, her eyes glossy with unshed tears and hurt pride, and the next, my door was closing behind us with a soft click that sounded far louder than it should have. The house felt too big, too quiet, like it was holding its breath along with us.
I pulled her close, not with desperation, but with certainty. Alex fit against me like she always had, like she belonged there, like my arms had memorized her shape long before I allowed myself to admit it. Our lips met again, slower this time, deeper, as if we were sealing a truth we had both been circling for weeks. I wanted her to feel safe, wanted her to know that this wasn’t a mistake, not to me.
Everything else faded.
Time softened, stretched and
