เข้าสู่ระบบETHAN’S POV The walk to the park had been torture.We moved side by side, but it felt like there was a canyon between us. Kai kept his hands clasped behind his back, pace slow and measured, matching my shorter strides without seeming to try. I kept stealing glances at him: the sharp line of his jaw, the way the wind tugged at his dark hair, the blank mask he’d worn since the pizza last night. Every time our eyes almost met I jerked mine away, heart racing like I’d been caught doing something unforgivable.Which, in a way, I had.The park wasn’t crowded. A few kids shrieked on the swings, a couple walked a dog, an old man fed pigeons. Normal life. It made the silence between us feel even heavier.“Should we get ice cream?” Kai asked suddenly, nodding toward the pastel-colored van parked under the oaks.The question was so ordinary it threw me. “Uh… yeah. Sure.”We walked over. I ordered vanilla with strawberry topping because my brain couldn’t handle decisions right now. The lady beh
ETHAN'S POV“Ethan?” Kai’s voice, low and muffled through the door. “Baby, it’s me.”Relief and panic crashed together so violently I almost threw up.My palms were slick with sweat. My borrowed shorts had dark brown streaks across the thigh where I’d wiped my fingers. I could smell the metallic tang of old blood on my skin.Another knock, gentle. “Ethan? You okay?”“Coming!” I croaked, voice cracking. I sounded guilty as hell.I bolted for the bathroom, turned the faucet on full blast, splashed cold water on my face, scrubbed my hands until they stung. The mirror showed a wild-eyed boy with flushed cheeks and trembling lips. I looked like I’d just committed a crime.Because I kind of had.I grabbed a towel, dried my face, tried to slow my breathing. Inhale four, hold four, exhale four. It didn’t work.The knock came again, softer. “Baby, open the door. You’re scaring me.”I forced my legs to move. Every step felt like walking through quicksand. I reached the door, hands shaking so ba
ETHAN’S POV I curled my toes, at the wild sensation of this, then I felt his hands cupped my cheek. "Look at me, Ethan."He said calmly, as he moved my face to his sides."I said you should go. You don't have to worry about me."I muttred.He sighed. "I’m coming back. I’m not disappearing again. I’m not leaving you. Do you hear me?” I wanted to believe him. God, I wanted to. But all I could see was the way he’d walked out to that balcony, the way he’d hidden the phone, the way he was dressing like a man preparing for war instead of a Tuesday afternoon. I nodded anyway, because I didn’t have the strength to fight. "If you say so."I muttred.He kissed my forehead, hard and desperate, then my lips, tasting my tears. “Few minutes, I'll be back” he whispered again. “Lock the door behind me. Don’t open for anyone but me.” He got off the bed, as he head to the door, and then he was gone. The door clicked shut. I stayed on the bed long after the door clicked shut, curled on m
ETHAN’S POV The sheets were warm and tangled around my legs, my body heavy and loose in the way only really good sex leaves you. Kai was still inside me for a minute, breathing hard against my neck, pressing soft kisses to my shoulder like he was scared to let go even for a second. When he finally pulled out I made a small, broken sound I couldn’t hold back, already missing the weight of him. He kissed my forehead, then my nose, then my lips, slow and gentle, like he was saying thank you with every touch. “Shower with me?” he murmured, voice husky and low, his fingers brushing my sweaty hair off my face. I wanted to. God, I wanted to follow him anywhere. But my limbs felt like liquid and my eyelids kept trying to close on their own. “Too tired,” I mumbled, burrowing deeper into the pillow that smelled like him. “Just gonna sleep for five minutes.” He laughed softly, the sound rumbling against my cheek. “Five minutes, huh? You’re already half gone.” I managed a sleepy smil
ETHAN’S POV The silence after breakfast had been thick, heavy, the kind that presses on your ribs together and makes it hard to breathe. We washed dishes side by side without speaking, shoulders brushing, water running, and I hated it because it felt like the calm before another storm.Now we were in the bedroom and the air was different, charged, humming.Kai sat on the edge of the bed in nothing but low black shorts and a soft grey T-shirt that clung to every line of his chest. He looked exhausted and beautiful and dangerous all at once.“What are you thinking about?” he asked, voice low, eyes locked on me like he could see straight through my skull.I was leaning against the desk, arms folded, trying to look anywhere but at him. “I’m fine,” I muttered, not fine at all.He raised one brow. “Are you giving me attitude, baby?”My stomach flipped at the pet name. “Who said I’m doing that?”He chuckled, dark and slow, the sound curling around my spine. “We were fine five minutes ago
KAI’S POV I woke up before the sun, the way I always do when my body is healing. Thanks to the little medication Ethan had given him.Pain was a dull pulse under the fresh bandage, but it was nothing compared to the warmth curled against my left side. Ethan was still dead asleep, lips parted, one arm flung across my chest like he was afraid I’d vanish if he let go. I lay there for a long time just watching him breathe, counting the tiny freckles across his nose, memorizing the way his lashes cast shadows on his cheeks. Eventually hunger won. I eased out from under him, slow and careful, tucked the blanket around his shoulders when he made a small unhappy sound. He settled again, hugging my pillow instead, and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from climbing right back in. The kitchen was quiet, pale morning light sliding through the windows. I moved on autopilot: eggs, thick-cut bacon, fresh chives from the little pot on the windowsill, the good butter. Pancakes to







