in shimmering silver as Amara walked beside Luc

t the edges of her composure. But beside her, Lucian

ey paused beneath an awning, the stor

a replied, a forced

gentle but unrelenting. "You

enses w

pretend," she ad

ways heal you,"

udied him-the soaked curls sticking to his forehead, the quie

red if letting someone in wou

rtment, the storm ea

mara asked, the invitati

d, surprise flickeri

ng the walls, canvases leaning in corners, the fa

, fingers brushing a worn

noticing the abstract

ted, her voice softer. "

" Lucian offered, no p

rrored the nervous h

evealing a tangled mess of

haos," she

eyes tracing the strokes. "You do

oat tig

y see the chaos," she whi

loser, gently ti

murmured. "But I also see the

ilence between them pu

r cheek, thumb brushing

n't pul

and longing-but as the storm raged beyond the window

she found fr

ability, he f

laced by the tentative rhythm of two fract