~ Avelyn ~ The words didn’t make sense. They sat there between us, perfectly formed, spoken with a seriousness that left no room for irony. I came back because I missed you. I stared at him like he’d just spoken in another language. For a second—just one—I almost laughed. The sound even climbed up my throat, sharp and disbelieving, but it never made it out. My body knew better. My body knew men like him didn’t say things they didn’t mean. They didn’t waste language. They didn’t reach for vulnerability unless they intended to use it like a blade. “You don’t miss people,” I said finally, my voice thin. “You move them, you hide them and you lock them away when they’re inconvenient.” His gaze didn’t leave my face. “And yet,” he said calmly, “here I am.” That was worse. I pushed my chair back and stood, my legs steady only because fear had turned me rigid. “I don’t know what this is,” I said, gesturing vaguely at the table, the lights, the careful civility. “But I’m not
Last Updated : 2026-02-05 Read more