Taken, Still Mine

to the corners of her room-a quiet hour where dreams c

ill humming from what her

er, lingering like warm brea

had crept into her sleep. Her skin buzzed with th

ck in her limbs. No messages, no pings, nothing exciting to shake

view of the narrow back staircase of Adrian's suite-the one that curved sha

e kids again. They were her bridge, the gentlest excuse to ge

dged itself inside h

, there

her attention. Her eyes-eyes that seemed like they were sculpted straight from her father'

ll and slow-moving, his hair me

breath

uldn't wake-and scrambled for the door. She didn't e

outside, a rake or the watering can, anything to loo

door w

t to get in, she called out

eamed. "Hi, Auntie!" t

could stop it. There was something about their

ment was part of the rhythm of his day. When she said,

w are you?" His tone w

It wasn't just the words-i

ed her head from the

eep calling me Auntie

"They're just being respectf

And she felt something shift. Warmth. Conn

tside. What she wanted, what she though

red to the way he made her feel. The ache she car

elf reliving the moments over and over, tormenting herself with thoughts of his laug

che. The world moved on, but she stayed stuck, as

closed eyes, tender, vivi

en, on

leave. But hours passed. Then more. The house fell into

rt was louder than any thought

he window, the one place she

Watchin

en-hea

. Her breath caught befo

idn't

she wanted

te fingers, and turned on the light above her be

t calm. His movements were slower than usual.

en he

re curve of his li

t her sou

ould he smi

e middle of the night, turning her world upside d

screamed, 'What ar

when I know nothing about you, except

hot, while your silence cuts d

pause around them,

but in reality, their words had never gone

ition had cracked. Som

sn't casual. It lingered, just long e

he steppe

the car. Towa

elt like they might give out. Her fingers d

t with something she couldn't

oice was low, careful, like he d

most l

d she ex

ery reason sleep

stories in her head with

aces they shouldn't, all in the n

er mouth, tr

was, "I don't know. I

ssions trapped beneath her

longer, then nodded, like he

he turned, walked up the sta

frozen at

Thoughts spirali

his smile branded itself like a s

l exchanged greetings like

t the same.

just a "hi

w

t are w

hem now, something unspok

r, in the way her skin warme

he felt

one something-sh

try to hide

to dress d

rateg

nks with

slid up just enough

ung to the curve of her

from the early morning chill

pen. She wante

ed him t

he

y the car, by the gate, or just walking past,

orning,

t. But her body t

eyes nev

ghs. A flicker of heat crossed his face. Alway

lenched jaw. Like he wa

ime, her p

, fingers grazing her breast. His

ord. But his sile

ante

. Didn't touch. Didn't

ad. Confused h

Balanced on the edge of something

s tired of

ted him

them felt heavy wit

was about

e was