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Chapter 12: Arlo’s POV – What Lingers
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2026-04-09 15:06:10
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His to Keep Chapter 12: Arlo’s POV – What Lingers
Chapter 12: Arlo’s POV – What LingersArlo didn’t stop working.He couldn’t.Even after Nikolai left, even after the room settled back into silence, even after the air felt lighter—His hands kept moving.Fold. Align. Stack.Again.Again.Again.But it wasn’t right.The rhythm was off.He stared down at the linen in his hands, noticing the crease wasn’t clean. Not sharp enough. Not like the one Nikolai had shown him.His fingers tightened.Focus.He redid it.Slower.More deliberate.Exactly the way Nikolai had—Arlo stopped.The realization came quietly.Too quietly.I’m copying him.His chest tightened.He dropped the fabric onto the table a little harder than necessary, stepping back as if the linen itself had done something wrong.This is exactly what I said I wouldn’t do.He exhaled slowly, pressing his palm against the edge of the table.This was supposed to be simple.Work. Save. Leave.That was it.No distractions.No complications.No—You already have.The words landed again
His to Keep Chapter 11: Nikolai’s POV – Expectations
Chapter 11: Nikolai’s POV – Expectations“Again.”Nikolai didn’t argue.He adjusted his stance, ignoring the ache in his ribs, the tightness in his shoulders, the faint sting still lingering in his knuckles from earlier training. None of it mattered. It never did.He moved forward.Strike. Block. Counter.Faster this time.Cleaner.Controlled.“Better,” his uncle said, circling him slowly. “But still distracted.”Nikolai exhaled sharply. “I’m not distracted.”“You’re here,” his uncle replied. “But not completely.”That was the problem.Nikolai reset his stance again, jaw tightening.“I won the round.”“This isn’t about winning.”A pause.“It’s about control.”Control.He had it.He always had it.“Then control yourself,” his uncle continued. “Because when you hesitate out there—” he gestured vaguely, meaning more than just the training room “—it won’t be a missed strike. It’ll be a mistake you don’t recover from.”Nikolai didn’t respond.Didn’t need to.He understood.He had been rais
His to Keep Chapter 10: Arlo’s POV – The Weight of Eyes
Chapter 10: Arlo’s POV – The Weight of EyesThe morning sun had barely begun to stretch across the estate when Arlo arrived in the stables. His hands were already raw from polishing and cleaning, but there was no pause today—he couldn’t afford one. Not with Nikolai’s presence lingering in his mind, not after yesterday.He moved quickly, methodical, his focus sharper than ever. Each stroke of the cloth, each sweep of the broom, each careful step across the uneven floor was a small anchor, keeping him tethered to reality. Work first. Always work first.Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the thought persisted:He could walk in at any moment.Arlo had learned the pattern. Sometimes, Nikolai stayed in the east wing; sometimes, he vanished entirely for hours, training or meetings with his father and uncle. And yet, when he appeared…Arlo froze, even if subtly, every time.---“Arlo,” came the low, measured voice from the shadows.He stiffened. One moment, he was dusting the saddle racks; the
His to Keep Chapter 9: Nikolai’s POV – Discipline
Chapter 9: Nikolai’s POV – DisciplineNikolai’s knuckles split on the third hit.He didn’t stop.The impact of bone against leather echoed through the training room, sharp and controlled. Again. Again. Again.“Focus.”The command came from across the room. His uncle didn’t raise his voice. He never did.“I am,” Nikolai replied.“Then stop thinking.”Another hit.Harder this time.The bag swung slightly off-center.A mistake.---Nikolai stepped back, rolling his shoulders once, jaw tightening. Blood slicked across his knuckles, but he ignored it.Across from him, his uncle watched with quiet precision.“You’re distracted,” he said.“I said I’m not.”“You missed your angle twice.”Nikolai didn’t respond.Didn’t need to.The silence confirmed it.---“Again,” his uncle said.Nikolai stepped forward, resetting his stance.Left foot. Right. Balance. Breath.Control.He struck the bag again—clean this time. Precise. Efficient.But even as he corrected himself, something lingered.A pause w
His to Keep Chapter 8: Arlo’s POV – Lines You Don’t Cross
Chapter 8: Arlo’s POV – Lines You Don’t CrossArlo woke before the bells.He didn’t usually. Not this early.But sleep had been thin, restless—broken by fragments of yesterday that refused to settle. A voice. A pause. The way the air had felt too tight to breathe in.Careful doesn’t mean correct.He pushed the thought away the moment it surfaced.There wasn’t time for that.The corridors were still dim when he stepped out, sleeves already rolled, cloth tucked into his pocket. If he started early, he could finish more. If he finished more, there would be less reason for anyone to look too closely.Less reason for him to look.Arlo moved quickly down the hall, setting his pace before his thoughts could catch up.Work first.Always work first.By the time the rest of the house began to stir, he had already finished the upper railings and moved on to the lower steps. His hands worked steadily, faster than usual, but not sloppy. Never sloppy.He couldn’t afford mistakes.Not now.Not when
His to Keep Chapter 7: Nikolai’s POV – Correction
Chapter 7: Nikolai’s POV – CorrectionBy the next morning, Nikolai had already decided.Not consciously. Not in words he could repeat back to himself.But in the way he moved through the house, in the direction his steps took without hesitation, in the quiet certainty that settled beneath his ribs—He would not ignore Arlo again.The hall was already occupied when he entered.Arlo stood near the staircase, sleeves rolled slightly, cloth in hand, polishing the banister with that same careful precision Nikolai had come to expect. Head slightly bowed. Movements controlled. Measured.Predictable.Nikolai stopped a few steps away, watching.Arlo didn’t look up immediately.But he knew.Nikolai saw it in the subtle shift of his shoulders, the way his grip tightened just slightly around the cloth. Awareness. Always there, just beneath the surface.Good.“You’re early,” Nikolai said.Arlo glanced up, then quickly lowered his gaze again. “There was dust left from yesterday, sir.”There wasn’t.
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