Just a moment

Zander's POV

The night air is bitingly cold, the kind that seeps into your bones, leaving a lingering chill beneath your skin. But I don't move. I don't try to find warmth.

I sit on the park bench, my elbows resting on my knees, fingers loosely clasped together as I stare at the ground. My breath fogs in front of me, each exhale a visible reminder of the silent storm inside me.

Normally, I can shove down my emotions after meetings with my grandfather. Normally, I can lock them away, compartmentalize, control, dominate.

But today, I can't.

I exhale slowly, tilting my head back to stare at the dark sky. A few scattered stars blink faintly above, but the city lights overpower most of them.

It's quiet here.

The world is still.

But my mind won't stop spinning.

A sound pulls me from my thoughts.

Footsteps—light, measured, familiar.

I don't turn my head. I already know who it is.

"Zander…"

Ivan's voice is soft, a little cautious. I hear the rustle of his coat as he stops in front of me, the warmth of his presence piercing through the cold air.

I don't respond right away.

I just stare ahead, letting his voice settle over me.

"How long have you been out here?"

There's a note of concern in his tone, a slight furrow in his brows as he studies me.

I don't have an answer for him. I don't even know how long I've been sitting here. Minutes? Hours?

Instead of answering, I exhale heavily, feeling the tension still coiled in my chest.Ivan sighs and without another word, he moves to sit beside me.

---

I let out a breath, slow and measured. Then, without thinking, without hesitating, I do something I have never done before.

I lean my head against his shoulder.

The moment my temple presses against him, I feel him stiffen for half a second—surprised, uncertain.

But then, just as quickly, he relaxes.He shifts slightly, adjusting his posture so that I can rest more comfortably against him, his shoulder solid and steady beneath me.

He doesn't tease me.

He doesn't say anything.

He just lets me be.

And for that, I am grateful.

The cold night air wraps around us, but with Ivan beside me, with his warmth seeping into me, I don't feel it as much.

"Just for a moment," I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper.

It's not like me to ask for things—not comfort, not affection, not anything that makes me seem needy.

But right now?

Right now, I don't care.

I just need this.

Just this.

Ivan doesn't respond, but he doesn't move either. He just stays right where he is, his presence calm, unwavering.

One moment turns into five minutes.

Five minutes turn into twenty.

Neither of us says a word.

The world continues around us—cars passing in the distance, a few scattered voices of late-night wanderers, the occasional rustle of wind through the trees—but here, in this little pocket of space, it's just us.

No expectations.

No past.

No future.

Just this quiet, fleeting moment.

---

At some point, Ivan shifts slightly, and I think he's about to pull away. Instead, he does something I don't expect.

He reaches up, his fingers threading lightly through my hair, slow, careful.It feels intimate in a way that catches me off guard.

 I close my eyes, letting the quiet sound of his breathing, the warmth of his body, the steady beat of his heart ground me.

He doesn't ask what's wrong. He doesn't press for details about why I'm here, why I'm not at home, why I needed to escape.

He just understands.

And somehow, that's enough.

---

The hour slips by unnoticed.

Eventually, Ivan shifts slightly beneath me, letting out a quiet chuckle.

"I think we've been here for longer than a moment," he says, his voice low, amused but soft.

I hum in response but don't move.

He lets out another quiet laugh, then nudges me lightly with his shoulder.

"I don't mind, though."

I finally open my eyes, lifting my head just enough to look at him. He's smiling, that quiet, knowing expression he gets when he thinks he understands something about me that I haven't admitted to myself yet.

Maybe he's right.

Maybe I don't need to admit it out loud.

I take a slow breath and sit up fully, but I don't move away.

Not yet.

The night is still cold, but with Ivan beside

me, it feels a little warmer.

And for the first time in a long while, I don't feel alone and it's okay to not always be so strong.