30.

I stood there, my heart still pounding in my chest, his words echoing in my mind.

"To hold back."

To hold back what? What was he trying to say?

My hands curled into fists at my sides as I forced myself to steady my breathing. Whatever this was—whatever storm was brewing between us—I needed space to figure it out.

“Daniel,” I called out, my voice firmer than I felt.

He stopped mid-step, his back still turned to me. His shoulders tensed for a moment before he slowly turned around, his gaze unreadable.

I swallowed hard and lifted my chin. “If you think you can just say something like that and walk away, you’re wrong.”

He exhaled sharply, like he’d been expecting this confrontation. “Vera—”

“No, let me finish,” I cut in, my hands trembling slightly, but I refused to let my emotions show. “Whatever this is… whatever you’re feeling, I need time.”

His brows furrowed, but he stayed silent, letting me speak.

“I can’t just—” I gestured between us, frustration lacing my words. “I can’t just accept whatever this is without thinking. You don’t get to just drop cryptic words and expect me to understand.”

He ran a hand through his hair, his composure faltering slightly. “I’m not expecting you to understand, Vera. I just—” He stopped, shaking his head. “I don’t know how to—”

“Then figure it out,” I interrupted, my voice softer this time. “Because if you want something from me, Daniel, you have to earn it.”

His eyes darkened, and for a second, I saw something flicker in them—something raw, something real. But he masked it quickly, stepping back like he needed the distance.

“Time,” I continued, forcing myself to meet his gaze despite the intensity of it. “I need time. For everything. For whatever this is between us. For myself.”

He let out a slow breath, his jaw tightening before he gave a short nod. “Okay.”

I blinked, surprised at how easily he accepted it. “Okay?”

“I’ll give you time,” he said simply, but there was something firm in his tone—like he wasn’t giving up, just waiting. “But just know, Vera…”

He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming even as he kept a respectable distance. His voice lowered, sending a shiver down my spine.

“I don’t plan on walking away.”

And just like that, he turned and left, leaving me standing there, my heart in complete disarray.

I stood there long after he left, my pulse racing and my thoughts tangled in knots.

"I don’t plan on walking away."

His words replayed in my mind, over and over, like a song I couldn’t turn off. I wanted to be angry—frustrated by his ability to say things that made my walls crack, by the way he always left me feeling like I was standing on unstable ground. But deep down, beneath all the confusion, there was something else.

Fear.

Not of him, but of what he made me feel.

I let out a sharp breath and pushed off the doorframe, walking back into my room. I needed to clear my head. I needed distance, perspective—something that would help me make sense of this mess.

But as I flopped onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, I knew one thing for sure.

Daniel wasn’t giving up.

And that terrified me more than anything else.

\---

The next few days passed in a blur. I avoided Daniel as best as I could—not out of spite, but because I genuinely needed time to process everything. He didn’t push, didn’t try to corner me into another conversation. But his presence lingered, steady and patient, like a shadow I couldn’t quite shake.

It was in the way he glanced at me across the room when he thought I wasn’t looking. The way his fingers would twitch slightly when I walked past him, like he was holding himself back from reaching out.

And maybe the most dangerous part of all?

I noticed.

Every single time.

Cecily, of course, caught onto my turmoil almost immediately. She wasn’t one to let things slide.

“You’ve been weird lately,” she said casually one afternoon, tossing a grape into her mouth as we sat on the couch. “Weirder than usual, I mean.”

I shot her a flat look. “Thanks.”

She grinned. “Anytime. So… are we going to talk about it, or am I supposed to pretend I don’t see the way you and Daniel have been circling each other like two idiots in denial?”

I nearly choked on my drink. “Excuse me?”

Cecily rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on, Vera. You think I don’t notice? I was there for the lap incident.” She wiggled her eyebrows dramatically. “And let’s not forget how someone bolted from the room like their life depended on it.”

My cheeks burned. “That was—”

“That was what?” she challenged, leaning in with a knowing smirk. “Nothing? A random game dare? Please. I saw the way you looked at him. And I definitely saw the way he looked at you.”

I groaned, rubbing my temples. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated usually means interesting.”

“Cecily.”

“Vera.” She mimicked my exasperated tone perfectly. “You like him.”

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come. Because maybe—just maybe—she wasn’t entirely wrong.

Not that I was about to admit it.

“I don’t know what I feel,” I said instead, sighing. “That’s the problem.”

Cecily hummed, popping another grape into her mouth. “Well, you better figure it out soon.”

I frowned. “Why?”

She grinned mischievously. “Because Daniel? He’s already figured out what he wants.”

And just like that, my stomach flipped all over again.

\---

That night, I found myself wandering through the dimly lit hallway, my mind restless. I hated feeling like this—so unsure, so off balance.

Before I knew it, my feet had carried me toward the kitchen.

And, of course, Daniel was already there.

He stood by the counter, one hand resting on the marble surface, the other gripping a glass of water. The dim light from the stove illuminated his face in soft shadows, making his expression unreadable.

He looked up as I stepped inside. His gaze flickered with something unreadable before he spoke.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

I hesitated for a second before shaking my head. “You?”

His lips twitched slightly, almost like he found the question amusing. “No.”

Silence stretched between us, neither of us moving.

Then, because I couldn’t take it anymore, I spoke.

“Daniel.”

He set his glass down, watching me carefully. “Yeah?”

I exhaled slowly. “About the other day…”

He didn’t say anything, just waited, his gaze steady, patient.

I swallowed hard. “I meant what I said. I need time. And… if you want something from me, you have to earn it.”

For a moment, he just looked at me. Then, something shifted in his expression.

He stepped closer—not too close, but enough that I could feel the weight of his presence. “I know that, Vera,” he said, his voice quieter now, rougher around the edges. “I don’t expect you to just… give me anything.”

I searched his face, trying to understand what he wasn’t saying.

His gaze flickered over me, something unreadable in his eyes before he finally said, “I just want the chance to prove that I can.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

So, for the first time in what felt like forever, I didn’t run.

I just nodded.

And for now, that was enough.