soaked through coats, through skin, through memory. She should've been used to storms by now- she carried one in her chest daily- but this one unsettled her. She should'v

ucked in his pockets like he wasn't standing in the mi

"Following me?" she asked. "Watching over you," he corrected, and the calm in his tone sent a ripple down her spine. "You're not a saviour, Zayden." "No," he said. "But neith

h. "You wouldn't survive it." "I'd still want it." The silence wrapped tighter. Something passed between them-something wordless, hot, unsettling. She turned away, not in retreat but be

her, the blank page mocking the chaos in her head. She flipped it closed. Walked to the mirror. Took off the mask. The face staring back was

et, no umbrella, no coat this time- just Zayden, soaked again in the rain, waiting. "You said knowing won't save me," he said into the

lding its breath. He glanced around her space, at the bare walls, the clean desk, and the untouched mask. "You hide everything," he said. "Even when you're standing still." She raised her chin slightly. "Wha

er breath caught. That version didn't exist anymore. It had been buried years ago beneath fear and fire. She whispered, "I don't ex

lose to something that couldn't be undone. He left without another word. She stood long after the doo

after him wa

s dea

re sealed shut. Her chest tightened, not from the memories of him, but from the unbearable weight of what lingered i

ness with something-anything. But no sound came. Only th

A barrier between the woman she was and the woman she feared to become without it. She'd worn it like armo

world. But her fingers hovered above it, trembling, unsure if she wanted to bury herself back into that concealment or f

hought she'd trained her heart to stay silent, to remain untouched by a man like Zayden. But the ache that clung to her muscles, the ghost of his touch

, flickering like distant stars. The rain softened, no longer a harsh storm but a

utside, the city didn't care about her struggles, her secrets, or the wa

walls around herself, creating a fortress of silence and shadows. But tonight, thos

into her life like a storm, tearing down pieces of her she thought were untouchable. He wasn't like the ot

one, would cost her more

r that matched her own-a hunger she tried so hard to deny. It was in his eyes that silent

e mask beckoned again, and this time she reached for it, fingers curling around its edges.

ask, half-bared and vulnerable. Who was she without

r, head in her hands. The silence pressed on her like a li

oat, but it was only the wind, or maybe her imagination playing trick

nd the mask, safe but alone. Or to step out into the ligh

ng up with his name. She didn't answer. Not yet.

the worn edges with trembling fingers. It had bee

e willing to break free,

once cracked, coul

e opened, could nev

ha