Chapter 84
The evening settled gently over the palace, wrapping the gardens in a quiet glow that softened even the sharpest edges of the world within it.
Alvira had not intended to stay.
But she did.
She stood near the fountain again, her fingers lightly tracing the cool stone as her thoughts drifted back to earlier moments, to the way things had begun to feel different without warning.
Footsteps approached behind her.
She did not turn immediately.
She already knew.
Zack said, "You came back."
Alvira replied, "I did not feel like leaving yet."
Zack stepped closer, stopping beside her rather than in front of her.
Zack said, "This place is quieter at this hour."
Alvira said, "It feels more honest."
Zack glanced at her.
Zack said, "That is one way to describe it."
A soft silence followed.
Not empty.
Just waiting.
Alvira said, "You said you were being careful earlier."
Zack said, "I was."
Alvira asked, "Are you still."
Zack did not answer immediately.
Then he said, "I am trying not to be."
That made her look at him.
Really look this time.
Alvira said, "Why."
Zack met her gaze fully.
Zack said, "Because avoiding something does not make it disappear."
Alvira's breath slowed slightly.
Alvira said, "And what exactly are you avoiding."
Zack held her gaze for a moment longer than usual.
Then he said it.
Zack said, "You."
The word was simple.
But it changed everything.
Alvira did not step back.
She did not look away.
Alvira said, "That sounds like a problem."
Zack said, "It is."
Alvira asked, "For who."
Zack answered quietly.
Zack said, "For me."
A pause settled between them.
Soft.
But heavy with meaning.
Alvira said, "You are not making this easy to understand."
Zack said, "I am not trying to make it easy."
Alvira said, "Then what are you trying to do."
Zack exhaled slowly.
Zack said, "Be honest."
That word lingered.
Alvira said, "Then be."
Zack looked at her, something warmer breaking through his usual control.
Zack said, "From the moment I saw you, something felt different."
Alvira's fingers stilled against the stone.
Zack continued, his voice steady but quieter now.
Zack said, "I noticed you before I had a reason to. I listened when you spoke even when I should have been focused elsewhere. And every time you walk into a room, I am aware of it before I even look."
Alvira did not interrupt.
She could not.
Zack said, "I have spent days trying to ignore it. To treat it like it does not matter. But it does."
He stepped slightly closer.
Not enough to overwhelm.
Just enough to close the space between them.
Zack said, "And I do not want to ignore it anymore."
The air shifted.
Alvira's voice came softer now.
Alvira said, "You are saying this like you already understand it."
Zack said, "I do."
Alvira asked, "Then help me understand it too."
Zack hesitated for the first time.
Just slightly.
Zack said, "Not all at once."
Alvira studied him.
Alvira said, "That is not fair."
Zack said, "It is the truth."
A small silence followed.
Then—
Alvira said, "What do you feel."
Zack did not look away.
Zack said, "Drawn to you. Constantly. Without effort. Without reason that I can explain simply."
Alvira's chest tightened slightly.
Not uncomfortable.
Just unfamiliar.
Alvira said, "And you think I do not feel something like that."
Zack's gaze sharpened slightly.
Zack said, "Do you."
Alvira hesitated.
Just a moment.
Then—
Alvira said, "I do not understand it. But I notice you. More than I should. More than I expected."
Zack's expression softened.
Zack said, "That is enough for now."
Alvira let out a quiet breath.
Alvira said, "So what happens next."
Zack said, "We stop pretending this is nothing."
Alvira nodded slowly.
Alvira said, "Alright."
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them spoke.
But something had changed.
Something real.
And neither of them could take it back.