I can't fight it anymore.
Liana
I was back at Alex's place in the afternoon.
She'd already left for work.
A note on the counter said,
Eat something. Call me if Elias tries to kill someone today.
I smiled. Barely.
But the smile didn't last.
Because as I stared at the mug in my hand, a different memory slipped in.
The warmth of his jacket.
The curve of his arm, steady against my cheek.
The way I'd leaned into him like I belonged there.
Like it was safe.
Like it was normal.
I touched my necklace.
The one with the hidden tracker.
I wore it every day.
But yesterday was the first time I'd felt it burn—not from heat, but from awareness.
He held me. And he didn't pull away.
I didn't dream it.
He was there. Solid. Quiet.
His hands gentle as he wiped my face, tucked the blanket closer, whispered,
"I'm here."
I wanted to stay.
I wanted him to touch me again.
I wanted—
God.
I buried my face in my hands.
What was I doing?
His voice.
His warmth.
His presence.
It used to mean protection, just safety.
But now it meant something else, more.
I didn't know when that changed.
Maybe during that night on the couch.
Maybe the first time I saw him look angry when another man talked to me.
Maybe even earlier.
But now...
I couldn't lie to myself anymore.
This wasn't just comfort. Or gratitude. Or the relief of having someone I trusted.
This was—
I want him.
The words echoed like a scream in a cathedral.
I pressed a hand to my chest.
My heart felt loud. Too loud.
What am I supposed to do with that?
I thought of Scott again—
Her confident hands, her easy laugh, the way she walked into his space like she belonged there.
I couldn't do that.
I wouldn't know how.
He kissed people like her.
Not me.
And still—
I remembered the way he looked at me in the hospital.
Not like I was fragile.
Not like I was his responsibility.
Like I mattered.
Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
Maybe I'm just desperate to be wanted.
But even if that were true—
It didn't change the fact.
I like him.
Not in a childish, distant way.
Not as a father figure.
Not as a hero.
But as a man.
As Elias.
And I didn't know whether to run from that—
Or fall into it completely.