Chapter 49: Almost Said It
I said it. The best way I can. -Liana
Liana
The car ride was quiet. Not awkward, just quiet.
The kind where every silence felt full. Weighted. Like a breath that hadn’t been released.
Elias’s hand rested on the steering wheel, steady as always. But his knuckles were pale.
He didn’t speak. Neither did I. Not until he pulled up in front of Alex’s apartment.
I didn’t move to get out.
My fingers stayed curled around the strap of my bag. Tight.
He glanced at me, then looked away. “You okay?”
I nodded. Then shook my head. “I don’t know.”
He turned the engine off. The world fell completely silent.
No car. No radio. Just us.
I stared out the window. Then at my hands.
“I’ve been… overthinking,” I admitted. “Since that night.”
I didn’t have to say which one.
He knew.
Elias didn’t answer. But his whole body tensed, like his breath had caught in his throat.
I swallowed. “I don’t know what we’re doing.”
His jaw flexed. “Me neither.”
That surprised me.
He always seemed like the one with answers. The one who had everything under control.
“I don’t want to mess this up,” I whispered. “I don’t want to ruin what we have.”
His voice was rough. “You’re not ruining anything.”
I looked at him. Really looked.
His eyes were darker than usual. Serious. Unreadable.
“I just…” I hesitated. “I need to know you’re not doing this just because you feel responsible for me.”
That landed hard.
His face shifted. Like something inside him cracked.
He leaned forward, elbows on the steering wheel. Silent.
Then, after a long pause, he asked, “When I hold you… does it feel like responsibility?”
The question knocked the air out of me. My chest tightened.
I opened my mouth. Closed it.
Then finally, quietly, “I like it when you hold me.”
His head turned slowly.
Our eyes locked.
And I saw it. All of it.
The way his breath caught.
The way his fingers gripped the wheel just a little tighter.
The way his entire body stilled, like he was holding back something too big to contain.
“Liana…” he said, voice hoarse.
“I didn’t mean to make things confusing,” I said quickly. “I’m just—”
“You didn’t.”
He reached across the console.
Not to pull me in. Just to touch my hand.
His fingers brushed mine. Warm. Grounding.
“I’ve tried,” he said. “God, I’ve tried to keep my distance. For years.”
My heart hammered.
“But you’re not a kid anymore. And I’m not just your safe place.”
I didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
I just waited. Waited for him to say something more.
But instead, he pulled back. Slowly.
He rested his hands in his lap and said, low, “You should go in. It’s late.”
I nodded. Opened the door.
But before I stepped out, I looked back.
“I like it when you hold me,” I said again.
Then closed the door before I could lose my nerve.
Elias
He didn’t drive away for a long time. Just sat there. Hands clenched on the wheel.
Her voice still in his head like a wildfire. “I like it when you hold me.”
He bit down on a curse.
She didn’t even know what that did to him.
Didn’t see the way his chest had ached just watching her say it.
Didn’t feel how badly he wanted to get out of the car, walk up the stairs, and pull her into his arms until she couldn’t say anything else but his name.
But he didn’t. Because he couldn’t.
He wanted to. God, he wanted to.
But if he touched her now, his body would forget what boundaries were.
And he didn’t trust himself enough to let go of the last thread of control he had left.
So he sat there. Alone. Shaking.
And whispered her name into the silence, like a prayer he’d already broken.
Chapter 50: Outage
It’s dark. But somehow I see more clearly than ever. -Liana
Liana
The lights went out at 8:13 p.m.
Just like that. soft click, then darkness.
I stood in the middle of the living room, holding my phone like it was a lifeline.
Outside, the wind had picked up. The rain hadn’t started yet, but the sky felt heavy.
Alex had left twenty minutes ago, heels clicking down the hallway, red lipstick perfect, off to dinner with someone new.
I wasn’t scared. Not exactly. But I didn’t like it either.
So when the door buzzed and I checked the camera.
It was him. Of course it was.
I opened the door without thinking. “You came.”
Elias stepped inside, shaking the rain off his jacket. “I saw the outage alert. Figured you’d be alone.”
I didn’t say thank you. Didn’t need to.
He kicked off his boots by the door. “Got candles?”
I nodded. “One. Bathroom. I’ll get it.”
He followed me down the hallway.
The flame lit with a small flick. Warm. Flickering.
It wasn’t much. But it was enough to see his face in that golden light.
God. Why did he have to look like that?
The light hit him just right.
Not bright, just enough to catch the edge of his jaw.
The shadow under his chin.
The faint dip where his neck met his shoulder.
And maybe it was the way he was leaning forward.
Or the way his shirt clung just enough to show the curve of muscle along his throat.
But something about it made her chest tighten.
He didn’t look at me. Just sat there, still, quiet, focused.
And I hated that my body noticed all of it before my mind could catch up.
We sat in the living room. The couch wasn’t big. He sat at the edge.
I curled up on the other end, blanket around my knees, candle on the coffee table between us.
No sound. Just the wind. Just us.
“I’m not afraid of the dark anymore,” I said, half-teasing.
“I know,” he said. “But I’m still glad I came.”
I looked at him. He wasn’t smiling.
Just watching me. Not in a heavy way. But in the way that made my skin feel too tight.
“Thank you,” I said softly.
He nodded.
We sat like that for a while.
The flame danced. The shadows leaned closer.
And then, somehow, I leaned too. Just a little. Until my shoulder brushed his arm.
He didn’t move. And neither did the air between us.
I didn’t mean to rest my head on him. But I did.
I waited for him to pull away. He didn’t.
Instead…He shifted. Turned slightly. Let me settle in.
And then he moved his arm. Slowly. Wrapped it around me.
Like he’d been holding back for too long.
I melted.
The blanket slipped. His body was warm.
His chest rose and fell beneath my cheek.
And I said it. Soft. Barely a whisper. “I like it… when you hold me.”
He stilled.
I could feel it, in the silence that followed.
Like the words had touched something too deep to name.
He didn’t speak. Didn’t breathe.
Then, quietly, like it hurt, “Liana…”
I closed my eyes.
“I’m not asking for anything,” I whispered. “I just… I wanted you to know.”
His grip tightened. Not too much. Just enough to let me feel it.
To let me know he heard me.
And maybe… that he felt it too.
Chapter 51: The Sentence
I said it. He didn’t say anything. But everything changed. -Liana
Liana
The lights flickered back on at 9:47 p.m.
Just like that. one blink, and the soft glow of electricity returned like nothing had happened.
I blinked too. Still curled up against Elias. Still warm.
And then, he moved.
Not sharply. Not like he regretted it. But like he knew he had to.
He stood. Picked up his jacket. Didn’t look at me right away.
“I should go,” he said quietly.
I nodded.
He didn’t say goodbye. He just left.
And somehow, that made it worse.
Like he didn’t trust himself to stay. Or didn’t think he should.
Like walking away quietly could protect us both from something we couldn’t name.
And maybe it did. But it still felt like heartbreak.
Not loud. Not cruel. Just careful. Too careful.
Alex came home an hour later.
She was humming something, makeup slightly smudged, hair let down, high heels in one hand.
She raised an eyebrow when she saw me still sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket like I hadn’t moved.
“No murders?” she joked. “Elias didn’t lose it over a moth or something?”
“He left when the power came back,” I said.
She dropped her shoes and collapsed onto the armchair. “You okay?”
I hesitated. Then looked her straight in the eye.
“I said it.”
She blinked. “Said what?”
I swallowed.
“You know.”
A beat.
Then Alex leaned forward, eyes wide. “Wait. You mean… the sentence?”
I nodded. “I said, ‘I like it when you hold me.’”
Alex let out a sound that was half gasp, half laugh, and almost fell off the chair.
“Holy shit. You actually said it.”
I buried my face in the blanket. “He didn’t say anything back.”
“Girl, he doesn’t have to. He’s a man made of concrete, not poetry.”
I looked at her. “So what does that mean?”
Alex smiled. Not teasing. Not smug. Just soft.
“It means he heard you.”
My chest tightened. “And?”
“It means he won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
I stared.
Alex leaned her head back against the chair, eyes closing.
“Every single person on this planet knows you’re his world. But for the first time, he knows you want him back.”
She looked at me again.
“And damn, girl. It’s about time.”
Chapter 52: The Shift
Of course I like you. God, I love you. -Elias
Elias
He couldn’t sleep. The house was dark, silent, too big without her.
He’d gone over there just to check.
Just because the lights were out. Just to make sure she wasn’t scared.
That’s what he told himself.
And now?
Now all he could think about was the way she looked when she opened the door.
Hair messy. Eyes wide. Sweater too big, hanging off one shoulder.
And when she said, “You came?”
God. He’d barely stopped himself from reaching for her then.
And when she touched his arm… I like it when you hold me.
The words hadn’t been soft. They’d been sure. Like she knew exactly what they meant.
And now… he couldn’t stop hearing them.
She wasn’t a kid anymore. She hadn’t been for a long time.
But it was like his mind had finally caught up to what his body had known for months.
She was the person he wanted. Not to protect. Not to fix.
To be with.
And that terrified him.
Because how do you let yourself want something you’ve spent five years telling yourself you can’t have?
How do you let your hand stay when it brushes hers?
How do you let your eyes linger when she looks at you like she’s not afraid anymore?
He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
She’d looked at him differently tonight.
Not just like she needed him. Like she saw him.
Do you like me too?
The question hadn’t left her mouth. But it echoed in his head anyway.
And now… he was asking it too.
She trusts me. She still sees me as safe.
But I want more.
I want her hands in mine, not just when she’s cold.
I want her voice whispering my name, not just when she’s scared.
I want—
He exhaled, palms pressed to his face.
This was dangerous.
But maybe for the first time, he was ready to stop pretending it wasn’t real.
Because if this was a line…
He wasn’t sure he could keep from crossing it anymore.
Chapter 53: A Terrible Plan
I set a goal. I reach it. -Elias
Elias
It was 6:00 a.m.
I stood outside Alex’s apartment with a paper bag in one hand and black coffee in the other.
Her phone wasn’t ringing.
Fine. It was early. Too early.
But the sandwiches were already paid for, and I’d already driven here telling myself this was a “normal, friendly, no-big-deal” thing to do.
It wasn’t. It was a terrible plan.
The lights inside were off. No shadows behind the blinds.
Just the steady hum of traffic and some idiot honking two blocks away.
I checked my phone again. Still nothing.
I waited another thirty seconds before heading back to the truck.
Set the food on the passenger seat. Sat down.
Gripped the steering wheel like it might stop me from making more bad decisions.
Spoiler, it didn’t.
I unlocked my phone. Opened a message thread.
Luca
how do you ask a girl out
but like
not casually
but also not in a way that makes it weird if she says no
I stared at it for a while. Thought about deleting it.
Five minutes later, the reply came.
Luca
Who are you asking?
Me:
…Liana
Luca
Man. Finally.
Me:
What do you mean?
Luca
I mean you’ve been looking at her like a war widow for two years.
Everyone knows.
Except, apparently, the two of you.
I sighed. Dropped the phone into the cup holder.
This was why I didn’t ask for help. I wasn’t good at this. Never needed to be.
Want. Ask. Get. That was the pattern. But this… this wasn’t about getting.
This was her.
Liana.
The only person who could break me without even trying.
The only one I couldn’t risk screwing up with.
Which made everything feel… impossible.
I picked up my phone again.
This time: Alex
how do I ask Liana out
without freaking her out
and preferably without looking like an idiot
Her reply came fast. Too fast.
Alex
Holy shit.
Are you seriously asking ME this?
Elias Wolfe, the guy who once stared down a cartel sniper without blinking, is scared of asking a girl to dinner?
God. You’re in love.
Please don’t use a SWAT tactic to flirt.
I rubbed a hand down my face.
This was a disaster.
And I hadn’t even said the words out loud yet.
Still, I started thinking about where I could take her. What I’d say.
And whether I’d survive it.
