I exhaled slowly, letting my words settle between us.
I meant every single one of them.
There was nothing uncertain about how I felt. Not anymore.
Not after tonight.
Not after everything she had trusted me with.
For a moment, everything felt… still.
Quiet.
Like the world had paused just long enough for me to take it all in—the way she stood there, the way her eyes held mine, the way her breathing had changed without her realizing it.
And then something shifted.
I didn't know exactly when it happened.
I just… felt it.
Zoe was looking at me differently. Unguarded.
Not hesitant.
But like she was trying to understand something deeper. Something she couldn't quite put into words. Like she had no control over it.
Or maybe…
She didn't want to stop feeling it. Or she couldn't resist it.
My chest tightened.
God.
I hoped I wasn't reading it wrong.
