More laughter followed, mixed with embarrassed shrieks and breathless confessions.
Their imaginations spiraled, some whispering about what it must be like to have Ross's attention solely on them.
Others fantasized about him walking into their room at night, choosing them out of the five hundred people in the shelter.
Their words grew more playful, more daring, as the group huddled closer, caught between their fears of the outside world and their admiration for the man who protected them from it.
But the woman Ross was truly interested in stayed silent.
She watched the others with a small, polite smile, but she didn't join their wild chatter.
Instead, her gaze drifted toward where Ross had walked off.
She didn't blush or giggle—yet something in her eyes softened, just for a moment.
A spark of curiosity.
A hint of interest.
A flicker she didn't dare show openly.
And though she didn't know it yet, Ross had already noticed.
