"We shouldn't walk out together," Axel said the moment he opened the door.
He felt Ivan's presence immediately behind him, the warmth of his body almost brushing against his own back.
"Yes, we should," Ivan said. His gaze locked onto Axel's, "It's useless to pretend like we don't get along when we're spending this much time together. We can just say we're friends, or something. It'll make things easier."
Axel studied him, his brows slightly furrowed. There was a logic in what Ivan said.
Even after he silently agreed with Ivan, Axel didn't move immediately. His body remained poised at the threshold of the door, as though he were trying to make some unspoken decision.
The expression on his face betrayed him;
Ivan noticed it immediately. He stepped even closer, reducing the gap between them, his hand brushing slightly against Axel's shoulder in a gesture that was both grounding and intimate.
