The city hummed quietly beneath the early morning haze. Streets glistened from the previous night's rain, the reflections of streetlights still trembling in puddles. Kiera leaned on the balcony, coffee in hand, breathing in the calm that had eluded her for so long. For the first time, the world didn't feel like it was closing in on her. It felt… expansive. Open. Dangerous in the way freedom could be—but freeing nonetheless.
Kade joined her silently, standing close enough that she could feel the warmth of his body. Neither of them spoke for a few moments, letting the city speak for them: distant sirens, the murmur of morning traffic, the occasional bark of a dog from a nearby alley. Kiera realized that she hadn't actually heard those sounds for years.
"You're quiet," Kade finally said, his voice low.
"I'm thinking," Kiera replied. "About what comes next."
He chuckled softly, almost a whisper. "Do you ever stop thinking?"
