“Exactly.”
The implication hangs heavy.
Because I want to. And we all know it.
I turn back to her. “You’re not fragile.”
“No.”
“You’re not just biology either.”
Her eyes soften slightly at that. “No.”
“Then don’t let him treat you like a problem to solve.”
Something flickers in Sol’s expression, but I don’t look at him.
This isn’t about him.
It’s about the fact that when she stands between us, she feels like a line none of us expected to draw.
“I asked you out,” I say suddenly.
Her brows lift. “You did.”
“I meant it.”
“Kai—”
“I’m not backing off just because he triggered something.”
The room goes still.
Sol doesn’t interrupt.
Koa watches from the doorway, silent.
Her pulse is racing now. Not steady. Not calm.
Racing.
“You think this is a competition,” she says.
“Do I?”
She studies me for a long moment. “You’re jealous.”
The word lands clean so I don’t deny it. “Yes.”
It’s the first honest answer I’ve given all day.
Her lips part slightly, surprised.
“I don’t want you calm,” I say, voice lower now. “I don’t want you dulled. I like that you flare when I’m near.”
Her breathing stutters.
Sol goes very still.