ARIA
Kael didn't say anything as he carried me into his apartment.
He didn't need to.
I remembered thinking once that his place was too cold, too sharp with clean lines and empty silence. Like it mirrored the man himself: distant, unfeeling, impenetrable.
But now?
Now it just felt… safe.
Not warm, not quite. But familiar.
Like coming in from a storm and finally being allowed to stop pretending you're not freezing.
He laid me down gently on his bed, like he was afraid I'd break into pieces. I stared up at the ceiling, breathing in the subtle scent of him in the sheets—clean, dark, something expensive I could never name but always noticed.
"Will you take a shower?" he asked quietly. "While I get you something to eat."
I didn't say anything.