I said it. He didn't say anything. But everything changed.
Liana
The lights flickered back on at 9:47 p.m.
Just like that—one blink, and the soft glow of electricity returned like nothing had happened.
I blinked too.
Still curled up against Elias.
Still warm.
And then—
He moved.
Not sharply. Not like he regretted it.
But like he knew he had to.
He stood.
Picked up his jacket. Didn't look at me right away.
"I should go," he said quietly.
I nodded.
He didn't say goodbye.
He just left.
And it was the most polite heartbreak I'd ever seen.
Alex came home an hour later.
She was humming something, makeup slightly smudged, hair let down, high heels in one hand.
She raised an eyebrow when she saw me still sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket like I hadn't moved.
"No murders?" she joked. "Elias didn't lose it over a moth or something?"
"He left when the power came back," I said.
She dropped her shoes and collapsed onto the armchair.
"You okay?"
I hesitated.
Then looked her straight in the eye.
"I said it."
She blinked. "Said what?"
I swallowed.
"You know."
A beat.
Then Alex leaned forward, eyes wide.
"Wait. You mean… the sentence?"
I nodded.
"I said, 'I like it when you hold me.'"
Alex let out a sound that was half gasp, half laugh, and almost fell off the chair.
"Holy shit. You actually said it."
I buried my face in the blanket.
"He didn't say anything back."
"Girl, he doesn't have to. He's a man made of concrete, not poetry."
I looked at her. "So what does that mean?"
Alex smiled.
Not teasing. Not smug.
Just soft.
"It means he heard you."
My chest tightened.
"And?"
"It means he won't be able to sleep tonight."
I stared.
Alex leaned her head back against the chair, eyes closing.
"Every single person on this planet knows you're his world. But for the first time—he knows you want him back."
She looked at me again.
"And damn, girl. It's about time."