Stefan studied me for a moment, then nodded. “You came to the same conclusion.” When I frowned, he added, “That it was better to end something that wasn’t working.”
I let out a quiet breath. “Yes, I suppose we did.”
A momentary silence fell.
“Thank you.” Stefan’s voice was low and warm.
I blinked. “For what?”
“For telling me.” He cocked his head, his gaze focused on mine. “This isn’t just a holiday, is it?” His voice softened. “You didn’t come here simply to see the sights.”
I hesitated. “No.”
Stefan leaned back as if to give me space. “You came here to find something.”
I swallowed. “Yes.”
Stefan’s gaze didn’t waver. “Will you let me help you find it?”
I could have asked what he meant. Ishould’veasked.
“Yes.” The answer came quietly without hesitation.
Stefan’s eyes were warm. “Good.”
The way he said it… Far from feeling casual, it felt like…
A beginning.
When we stepped back out onto the street, the night had settled fully around us. The air was cooler against my skin, the noise of the day replaced by something lower, more intimate. Conversations drifted from open doorways. Laughter came from further down the street.
For a moment, neither of us moved, and I became aware of how close we were standing. Not quite touching, but close enough that I could feel the heat of him.
Near enough that it would take almost nothing to close the distance between us.
“That was…” I began, then stopped.
Stefan watched me, waiting.
“Good,” I finished, a little lamely.
He smiled. “High praise.”
I laughed, and the sound eased some of the tension.
Not all of it.
I felt it now, that same pull from earlier in the day, only stronger, sharper. Now it was no longer something I could dismiss quite so easily.
Stefan took a small step closer to me, and my breath caught in my throat.
“You’re thinking too much,” he said quietly.
I let out a faint, unsteady laugh. “I’ve been told that before.”
“I don’t doubt it.” He paused, his gaze dropping to my mouth, then up to my eyes.
Slow enough that I noticed.