Page 139 of Sage Haven

---

The same routine.

But there was something different in the way he watched me.

Our eyes met, and for a moment, the air between us thickened.

I smiled. Small. Wistful.

Then I turned back to the window, hiding the storm brewing inside me.

I heard the tray settle against the dresser.

The faint clink of glass.

And then…his footsteps.

Closer.

Beside me.

His voice was low. Warm. Deliberate. “Sage.”

I didn’t look at him, as I spoke, “I decided to try something new.” The words came out sharp. Defensive. But underneath… I was scared. Afraid of what he might say next.

A flicker of something passed across his face.

Surprise. Curiosity. Concern. I didn’t know.

“Why’s that?” he asked.

His voice was too careful.

Too controlled.

I gave him a smirk that didn’t quite reach my eyes. “Broadening my horizons,” I replied, mimicking his earlier words back to him.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

But then he said nothing.

The silence stretched between us like a wire about to snap.

I hated it.

“Sage—” His voice was softer now. As if searching for a place to land.

I didn’t let him.

“Thank you,” I said abruptly. “For the clothes.”

And then— “For everything.”

The words felt like glass in my throat. Raw. Shattered.

But they were true.

His lips parted, but I kept going. Kept control.

And then—he saidit.

---