Zariah didn't know how long she stood in Dorian's arms, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath, the warmth of seeping through her defenses. The city below was a blur of headlights and neon but up her, there was only the sound of wind and the racing of her heart.
She should pull away.
She should demand answers.
But instead, she stayed.
When she finally tilted her head up, his face was so close, shadow and light praying across the sharp angles she'd memorized but never let herself truly study. His eyes searched hers, as if asking for permission. As if he was just asking lost.
And then he kissed her.
Slow, careful, like he didn't want to startle her, like he was afraid she'd disappear. His lips were warm, tasting of rain and regret and she hated how much she melted into him.
Her hands slid up to his chest, fingers curling in his coat, she felt the third of his heartbeat, fast, unsteady. Like hers.
But when the kiss deepened , when the world slipped away entirely, Zariah came back to herself.
"No" she whispered, breaking the connection, breathless. "We can't do this, not like this."
Dorian's forehead rested against hers, eyes closed, as if the moment had cost him something.
"I'm sorry" he murmured. But his hands still helther, reluctant to let go.
She stepped back. The cold rushed in where his warmth had been. "There's too much we don't know. Too many lies between us."
"I'm trying to protect you, Zariah " he said quietly.
"Then start by telling me the truth."
They stood there in the night's quiet,the weight of unspoken thing between them and finally, he nodded.
"Tomorrow " he promised. "Meet me at the old pier. No more lies"
Zariah didn't trust the problem, but she wanted to.
As she watched him disappear down the stairwell, she touched her lips, still tingling from his kiss and wondered is some lines, inches crossed, could ever be uncrossed.