Page 68 of Kisses and Paperclips

He gave a low chuckle. “You stayed cool and still wearing a smile. That’s admirable.”

“Trust me,” I said, voice low, “all I wanted to do was scream in his face and drag him out by his collar.”

Julien smiled wide at that, but there was something behind it. A flash of understanding. Something familiar.

“That would’ve been a sight,” he said, stepping back just enough for air to slide between us. “But don’t let him take any more from you.”

Julien’s voice was quiet, but it cut through the noise like it was meant for me and me alone.

“That’s what miserable people do. They find your light and try to dim it just so they don’t feel so damn small.”

I didn’t look at him.

Because if I did, he’d see the way his words cracked something open.

There was a pause. Not long. Only long enough to make me feel like something else was coming.

He shifted a little closer. Not enough to touch, but enough to feel him. His presence wasn’t loud. But somehow, it took up all the air between us.

“Serena…”

His voice dipped, low and careful. Almost uncertain.

“You don’t always have to carry it all alone.”

That part hit different.

It wasn’t flirtation.

It wasn’t some slick line wrapped in charm.

It was care.

Offered the way he does most things…without pressure, without noise. Just there.

Like he’d been holding it in the palm of his hand, waiting for me to take it.

And I didn’t.

Not because I didn’t want to.

God, I wanted to.

But want and readiness don’t always arrive at the same time.

So, I stood there.

Letting the moment stretch too long. Letting my silence say what I couldn’t.

He watched me patiently. He gave me space to meet him in it.

And I stayed still.

And sometimes, stillness is its own answer.

His eyes held mine for a breath longer than they should have.

Then he nodded. A soft, almost imperceptible motion. The kind that means I get it. I won’t ask again.

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