The street was still.
Too still.
Elena didn't move.
Not after what just happened.
Her heart was still racing.
Too fast.
Too loud.
And he was right in front of her.
Close.
Too close.
"You shouldn't have left."
His voice was sharp.
Still edged with anger.
Her chest tightened.
"You told me to."
Silence.
That landed.
Hard.
His jaw clenched.
"I told you to stay away from me."
A step closer.
"Not walk into danger."
Her breath caught.
"That's not the same thing."
"No," he said.
A pause.
"It's worse."
Silence.
She stepped closer.
Her turn.
"You don't get to decide what's worse for me."
His gaze locked on hers.
"I do when it involves me."
That again.
Always that.
Her chest rose sharply.
"This is exactly the problem."
A pause.
"You push me away…"
A step closer.
"…then you come running back."
Silence.
"You don't get both."
His voice dropped.
"I already told you."
A beat.
"I don't care."
That hit.
Hard.
Her heart skipped.
"That's not how this works."
"It is for me."
Again.
Always that.
She shook her head.
"No."
Her voice steadier now.
"I'm not something you control when it's convenient."
A pause.
Then—
"You're not convenient."
That changed something.
Her breath caught.
"Then what am I?"
Silence.
That question stayed between them.
Heavy.
Real.
He didn't answer.
Not immediately.
That hesitation—
Was louder than anything.
Her chest tightened.
"Say something."
A long pause.
Then—
"You're the problem."
Her breath caught.
"That's not an answer."
A step closer.
"It is."
Silence.
"You make this complicated."
Her chest tightened.
"I didn't ask for this."
A pause.
"Neither did I."
That was honest.
Too honest.
She looked at him.
Really looked.
"You could walk away."
A beat.
Then—
"No."
Silence.
"You won't," she said.
A pause.
Then—
"No."
Her heart raced.
"Then stop acting like I'm the only one who's stuck here."
That landed.
Hard.
His eyes darkened.
"I'm not stuck."
Silence.
"Then what are you?"
A pause.
Then—
"I'm choosing this."
That changed everything.
Her breath caught.
"Then stop pretending you don't want it."
A beat.
Then—
"I don't pretend."
Silence.
She stepped closer again.
Now there was no distance.
Her voice dropped.
"Then say it."
His gaze didn't move.
"Say what?"
Her heart was racing.
"That you didn't just come for safety."
A pause.
"That you came for me."
Silence.
That was the line.
Again.
His jaw tightened.
His control slipping.
But not breaking.
Then—
"I came because you were in danger."
Her chest tightened.
"That's not what I asked."
Silence.
That wasn't enough.
Not anymore.
She stepped even closer.
"You felt it."
A pause.
"Didn't you?"
His eyes darkened.
That was the answer.
Her voice softened.
"You came because you couldn't stay away."
Silence.
Long.
Heavy.
And then—
He stepped closer.
Finally.
No distance.
"You don't understand what that means," he said quietly.
Her breath caught.
"Then explain it."
A pause.
Then—
"I don't walk away from things I want."
Again.
But this time—
It wasn't about control.
It was about her.
Her heart slammed.
"That's not the same thing."
"No."
A beat.
"It's worse."
Silence.
She didn't step back.
Didn't move.
Because now…
She understood.
This wasn't just something happening.
This was something he chose.
And that made it more dangerous than anything before.