Page 20 of Knot Shattered
Like me, he wore his craziness where it couldn’t be so easily seen... unless you knew how to look. “You’re my favoriteright now,” I teased, grinning shamelessly as I nudged Haze with my shoulder. The reaction was immediate, making me laugh.
“Hey!” Micha protested, clutching his chest like I’d wounded him. “I want to be your favorite!”
Ravik made a low, rumbling noise that might have been a protest if it didn’t sound so much like a challenge.
Salem just raised an eyebrow, sipping his coffee in mock offense. “I see how it is.”
I leaned in conspiratorially, lowering my voice to a stage whisper. “You never know when it’ll change.”
Haze beamed, preening like I’d handed him a crown, while the others groaned in exaggerated betrayal.
I started giggling again, helpless to stop it, feeling the tension that lived in my bones loosen just a little more. For once, laughter didn’t feel dangerous, didn’t feel stolen or wrong. It felt like I was finally breathing.
The laughter slowly ebbed into a softer hum, the kind that buzzed warm under your skin and made you feel like you belonged somewhere without even trying. I twisted my fingers lightly in the hem of my crop top, nerves prickling faintly at the edges of the happiness. I didn’t want this moment to just slip away into memory.
I wanted to know them.
Not just the easy, shiny parts.
The quiet corners, too.
The pieces they didn’t flash like weapons or shields.
So I cleared my throat lightly, glancing around the booth with a small, half-nervous smile. They stilled almost immediately, as if they could feel the shift in my energy, everyone of them focusing on me without hesitation or impatience. It was slightly unnerving to be the center of their attention. “I have another question,” I said, my voice softer now.
Micha leaned forward, resting his arms on the table, his molten gold eyes steady and encouraging. Ravik simply watched me, calm and unmoving, but there was a sharpness to his gaze now. Salem gave me a slight, easy nod.
Haze drummed his fingers lightly against the tabletop, practically vibrating with excitement.“You can ask us anything, sunshine,” Haze said, grinning lopsidedly. “No limits.”
That made me smile, a little steadier this time. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and took a breath. “What’s something... you’ve never told anyone else?” I asked, watching them carefully. “Something small. Or silly. Or just... something that’s yours.”
There was a beat of stillness, a flicker of surprise across their faces. And then, to my amazement, they started answering like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Salem went first, as calm as ever, but there was a glint of something warmer in his eyes. “I love reading trashy romance novels,” he said without a hint of shame. “The ones with the ridiculous covers and the even worse plot twists. Keeps my head quiet when it’s too loud in here.” He tapped the side of his head lightly, the gesture so casual it almost broke my heart.
I grinned, picturing him stretched out somewhere quiet with a paperback full of dramatic declarations and bodice ripping. Gods, he was adorable.
Micha chuckled, running a hand through his short, dark hair. “I watch terrible crime dramas,” he admitted. “The ones where the forensics are all wrong and the detectives somehowsolve a case with a hunch and no evidence.” He shook his head, smiling at himself. “Drives me crazy, but I can’t stop.”
I laughed, the sound bursting free before I could help it. “That’s so specific,” I teased.
He shrugged, easy and unbothered. “It’s comforting in a weird way. Knowing exactly what’s going to happen.”
Ravik looked reluctant for half a second, but then he met my gaze, shoulders loosening slightly. “I bake,” he said, his voice so low I almost missed it. “Mostly at night. When no one’s awake. Breads, pastries... whatever’s complicated enough to keep my hands busy.” He shifted slightly, almost self-conscious. “Don’t really tell anyone. Thought it might ruin the whole ‘silent muscle’ thing.” My heart squeezed so tight I thought it might break right there in my chest. Ravik, baking alone in the dark, chasing a quiet he couldn’t find anywhere else. Gods, I wanted to gather him up and never let go.
Haze bounced slightly in his seat, clearly dying to share. “I have a karaoke playlist,” he said brightly, waggling his eyebrows. “Full of power ballads and embarrassing early-2000s hits. I am unreasonably good at singing terribly off-key.”
I laughed so hard I had to cover my mouth, my whole body shaking with the effort not to draw attention from the few other diners nearby. “You’re telling me,” I gasped between giggles, “you have theme songs?”
“Multiple,” he said proudly. “Organized by vibe. There’s ‘Sad Boy Hours, ’ ‘Accidentally Started a Bar Fight,’ and of course, ‘Drunken Wedding Crasher.’”
Salem groaned into his coffee. Micha just shook his head, smiling like he couldn’t even pretend to be annoyed. Ravik looked like he was seriously considering whether it was too late to disown him.
I sat back, breathless with laughter, my heart so full it felt like it might lift right out of my chest. They trusted me with pieces of themselves—their softness, their silliness, their secrets.
A piece of armor I hadn’t even realized I was still wearing cracked quietly down the middle. I twirled a fry between my fingers, grinning mischievously. “Next time, I’m making you prove the karaoke thing,” I said, pointing at Haze.
He saluted me with all the solemnity of a knight pledging himself to a queen. “My voice will bring you to tears, my sun. You just wait.”
