Julian did not realize he was doing it until Lucian looked down.
His hand had come to rest against Lucian's forearm, not deliberate enough to be called a decision.
Just there, as if the contact had happened on its own somewhere between one thought and the next.
Julian's fingers curled once before he withdrew his hand, not quickly, not with embarrassment, but with the quiet awareness that came after recognizing something too late.
Lucian did not comment on it.
That made it worse.
Julian leaned back slightly into the sofa and looked away first, his attention shifting toward the untouched glass in front of him.
The room around them remained steady, low with the kind of quiet that never stayed empty where Lucian was concerned.
Nothing pressed at him from outside. Nothing demanded immediate attention.
For once, there was no interruption waiting at the edge of the moment.
Julian picked up the glass and took a sip, more to occupy the silence than because he wanted it.
