Chapter 23: A Moment to Breathe

Iris stretched her arms over her head, letting out a content sigh as the cool night breeze brushed against her skin. The city lights shimmered below as she stood on the balcony of her apartment, taking in the peaceful silence of the late evening. It was one of those rare nights where she could just exist—no noise in her head, no overwhelming emotions, just the simple comfort of being in the present.

Then, of course, Luke had to ruin it.

"Enjoying the view without me?"

Iris jumped, whipping her head toward the voice. Luke leaned lazily against the sliding door, arms crossed over his chest, an amused smirk playing on his lips.

"You really need to stop showing up unannounced," she said, pressing a hand over her heart to steady it.

"And you need to lock your door," he shot back, stepping onto the balcony beside her.

Iris rolled her eyes. "It was locked."

Luke grinned, holding up a spare key.

Her mouth fell open. "When did you—"

"You gave it to me, remember?" He wiggled his eyebrows. "I told you it would come in handy."

Iris groaned. "Remind me to take that back."

"Not happening." He leaned forward slightly, tilting his head as he studied her. "You looked deep in thought. What were you thinking about?"

Iris turned her gaze back to the city. "Nothing really. Just… how fast time is moving."

Luke hummed. "Yeah. It's weird, isn't it? Feels like just yesterday I was racing you on that empty road."

She smiled at the memory. "I totally won that race."

Luke scoffed. "In your dreams, sunshine."

They stood in comfortable silence for a while, the air between them filled with quiet understanding.

Then Luke bumped his shoulder against hers. "Wanna do something fun?"

Iris glanced at him suspiciously. "Define 'fun'."

He grinned. "Late-night ride. No destination. Just you, me, and our bikes."

She raised an eyebrow. "Sounds suspiciously like a death wish."

Luke laughed. "Come on, you trust me, don't you?"

Iris hesitated for half a second before sighing. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Then let's go."

The roads were nearly empty at this hour, the city bathed in a golden glow from the streetlights. The hum of their engines filled the silence as they rode side by side, the wind rushing past them.

Iris felt weightless, like nothing in the world could touch her in this moment. She glanced sideways at Luke, who was focused on the road, his face relaxed, his expression peaceful.

Then, as if sensing her gaze, he turned to look at her.

He smirked. "What, admiring me?"

Iris rolled her eyes. "Just wondering when you're going to challenge me to another race."

Luke chuckled. "I was trying to be nice and let you enjoy the ride. But if you insist…"

Without warning, he twisted the throttle, speeding ahead.

Iris gasped before narrowing her eyes. "Oh, it's on."

She pushed forward, chasing after him.

And in that moment, nothing else mattered.