Chapter 337 Karl Essay

It was the first time Ruby and Adrian were ever this close—physically and emotionally. Until now, there had always been a quiet distance between them. Not out of coldness, but something else… like a careful respect, an unspoken boundary neither of them had dared to cross.

They rarely talked one-on-one. Whenever the others were around. But now, as Adrian sat beside her on the sofa, their shoulders almost brushing, Ruby could feel the stillness between them humming with something new. Something warm. Unfamiliar, but not unwelcome.

Adrian kept stealing glances at the screen and then at her hands, watching how she used the laptop. Ruby noticed the way he leaned forward just slightly, genuinely curious but also a little clumsy with the unfamiliar device. His fingers hesitated over the keyboard.