RAFAEL POV Weeks had passed. Weeks since the morning she had stayed, when she chose to trust me despite everything. Since that day, life had felt… different. Easier in some ways, more complicated in others. Not because she made it complicated, but because she made me notice things I had long ignored small moments, subtle gestures, soft glances, quiet laughter. And it had taken all of me to keep my composure, to act casual, to not let her see how completely she had burrowed under my skin. I watched her now, sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone with a faint smile, hair tumbling across her face, sun slanting over the edges of the room. I could feel it the same pull, the sharp edge of wanting, the ache of knowing she was here and she was mine. I stepped closer, coffee in hand, letting my eyes follow her without looking obvious. She didn’t notice me at first, humming softly to herself, lost in whatever it was she was reading. “Rafael,” she called suddenly, looking up,
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