er than her own heartbeat. Outside, in the dimness of the room, Nico had already taken off his shoes and was settling in

atastrophe. She smiled with effort, her lips tense and her hands frozen. She felt

?" Nico asked as he se

replied, forcing her

oking toward the closet. Her thoughts swirled in disarray: Is he breathi

liar warmth hit her full-on. His smell. His weight. Everyth

"If it weren't for Julian, I would have fallen a

I know, she thought. The irony wa

voice feigning casualness.

r a walk before heading home. You kno

d being caught after kissing his girlfriend. The most ridiculous thing of all was that Julián w

Nico insisted, s

till staring

st... I'

e you,

to

co didn't seem to notice; he was already closing his eyes.

The weight of the situation crushed her. She felt like she was stuck in a dead-end situation, trapped between guilt and a str

hadn't been

eep, she moved carefully, barely lifting the sheet. She sat up, barefoot, and walked with

d the doo

he gave her was almost reproachful, but it also had that misch

razy?" he

" she replied,

as charged with electricity. They didn't know what to say.

o," she finall

ded, but d

.. what

A clear one, one that would put every

tted. "It was a mistake.

ing m

moment, she saw again what she had felt minu

án, p

t. He stopped by the bedroom door, turning the

ing. Never. You kn

kno

on't for

disappear down the hallway, and then the soft click of her bedroom door closing gently. Sh

o bed, but slee

she was still where she always was, something in her

tonous nighttime song, Camila felt that what had started as