Chapter 5: The First Time She Doesn't Pull Away
It happens by accident.
Or maybe not.
She nearly collapses in the hallway—her body still healing, her strength not fully returned.
Justin catches her.
His hands are warm. Steady.
Careful.
Too careful.
Like she might shatter.
For a moment—
She doesn't pull away.
The bond surges.
Not violently.
Not painfully.
Just… right.
Like slipping into something she was always meant to fit.
Her breath catches.
His thumb brushes her wrist—testing, asking, not taking.
And she lets him.
Just for a second.
Just long enough to feel what safety might have been like.
Then she steps back.
And it's gone.