Ella hadn't stopped thinking about that night.
The moment Nicholas kissed her in the café. The silence in the car. The hurt in his voice when he'd said, "You froze."
She hadn't been able to shake the image of him—cold, closed-off, retreating into himself like he used to before her.
But the next morning, he was gone before she woke up. Left a note on her nightstand.
Had to take care of something. I'll see you soon. -N.
She tried not to overthink it. He was giving her space, right? Or maybe he was still upset. Maybe last night had pulled him back into places he hadn't been ready to go again. He had secrets, wounds she still didn't know how to reach.
And yet… he'd kissed her.
Possessively.
Desperately.
As if she was the only thing keeping him from burning down the world.
