Chapter 50: Chapter Fifty: The Walk Back
The table didn’t break. It didn’t resolve either. It simply reached a point where no one had anything left to add that wouldn’t push it too far, too fast.
Jess was the first to lean back, exhaling as she dragged her hands through her hair.
“…Okay,” she said. “I think my brain needs a break before we accidentally start something we can’t stop.”
Taryn didn’t argue.
“That would be inefficient,” she said.
Jess glanced at her. “You’re really committed to that tone, huh.”
“It works.”
Rowan let out a quiet breath, the tension in her shoulders finally easing just enough to notice.
“We meet tomorrow,” she said.
Not a question. A decision.
Corvin didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
Taryn nodded once. “Earlier is better.”
Jess pointed lightly at her. “You’re picking the time. I’m not functioning before coffee.”
“Eight,” Taryn said.
Jess stared at her. “…You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
Rowan almost smiled.
“Eight works,” she said.
Jess looked between them, then sighed. “Fine. If I suffer, you all suffer.” Malric hadn’t moved much through any of it.
But now his attention shifted.
“Location,” he said.
Corvin’s gaze met his.
“Not here.”
Malric nodded once. “Good.”
That was all.
Jess pushed back from the table. “Alright. I’m done thinking for tonight.”
Taryn stood without another word. Rowan finally let her hand slip from Corvin’s beneath the table as she stood, the absence immediate and noticeable in a way she hadn’t expected. He noticed too. They stepped away from the table together, the tension not gone, just… set aside. For now.
Jess paused near Rowan, lowering her voice just slightly.
“You good?”
Rowan nodded.
“Yes.”
Jess studied her for a second longer, then glanced at Corvin.
“…You’re staying with her.”
Not a question.
Corvin didn’t react. “Yes.”
Jess nodded once. “Good.”
Taryn was already moving toward the door. Malric lingered for half a second longer, his gaze settling on Rowan. Not intrusive or claiming. Just… aware. Then he turned and followed.
Jess gave Rowan one last look before heading out after them.
“Eight,” she called. “Don’t be late.”
And then they were gone. The quiet that followed felt different.
Rowan exhaled slowly, then glanced at Corvin.
“You don’t have to walk me,” she said.
“I know.”
He didn’t move to leave. Neither did she.
“…Okay,” she said softly.
That was enough. The night air was cooler than she expected. Quieter too. The city hadn’t stopped, but it had softened, the sharp edges of the day easing into something slower, more distant. They walked side by side, not touching, but close enough that she was aware of him in every step. Neither of them rushed to fill the silence. For once, it wasn’t uncomfortable.
“You handled that well,” Corvin said.
Rowan let out a quiet breath. “I feel like that’s not entirely true.”
“It is.”
She glanced at him. “You didn’t look surprised by any of it.”
“I wasn’t.”
“That’s not concerning at all.”
A faint shift touched his expression. Not quite a smile.
“I expected something,” he said. “Not that.”
Rowan nodded slowly.
“…He’s not what I thought he was.”
“No,” Corvin said. “He isn’t.”
They walked a few more steps.
“He’s still dangerous,” Corvin added.
“I know.”
Her voice didn’t waver.
Corvin looked at her then, more directly.
“You didn’t step back.”
Rowan met his gaze.
“I wasn’t going to.”
“Why.”
She held his eyes for a second longer than necessary. Then:
“Because you didn’t.”
Something in his expression shifted. Subtle. But real. They didn’t speak again after that. They didn’t need to.
When they reached her door, Rowan stopped. The moment did too. Not abruptly, just… settled into place. She turned to face him fully. He was closer now. Closer than he had been all night. For a second, neither of them moved. The air between them felt different where.Rowan’s breath slowed, then caught slightly as his gaze dropped, just briefly, to her mouth before returning to her eyes. That was all it took.
The tension that had been building all night shifted. She didn’t step back. He didn’t either. The space between them closed slowly, like neither of them was rushing it, but neither was willing to stop it either. Her hand lifted without thinking, resting lightly against his chest, steadying herself against something that didn’t feel unsteady at all. His hand came to her waist, firm, grounding.
Then…
they kissed. Not soft. Not hesitant. It was immediate, intense, like everything they hadn’t said had been waiting for that exact moment to surface. Rowan leaned into it without thinking, her fingers tightening slightly against him as the world around them dropped away. There was nothing careful about it. Nothing measured. Just heat and certainty and the undeniable pull that had been building between them from the beginning. Corvin responded just as strongly, his grip steady, controlled, but not holding back. For a moment, everything else disappeared. The tension. The danger. The unanswered questions. All of it faded into something simpler. Something undeniable. Rowan’s breath caught as the kiss deepened, her other hand rising instinctively, anchoring against him as if she needed to make sure he was real. He was. Very real, and very close. Too close to pretend this was anything but what it was. Corvin pulled back first. Not far, just enough. His forehead hovered close to hers for half a second before he stepped back fully, the space between them returning all at once. Rowan’s breath was uneven. She didn’t try to hide it. Neither did he.
“Goodnight, Rowan,” he said quietly.
Like nothing had just happened.
Like everything had. Rowan held his gaze.
“Goodnight, Corvin.”
He didn’t linger. Didn’t hesitate. He turned and walked away, controlled as ever, leaving her standing there with the echo of the moment still settling around her. Rowan stayed at the door a second longer. Then another. Before finally turning, stepping inside, and closing it behind her. But the feeling didn’t fade. It stayed. Steady. Certain. And for the first time since all of this started she wasn’t bracing for what came next, she was ready for it.