Three days passed without a kiss.
Without a touch.
But not without feeling.
Mira found herself reaching for her phone at random moments, wanting to tell Jace everything from what song came on the radio to the stupidly poetic shape the clouds had made above her building. It wasn't just about romance anymore—it was about presence. He was slowly weaving into the fabric of her day.
And he was doing the same.
"Come by tonight," he texted just after 7 p.m.
No explanation. No emoji. Just an open door.
She didn't hesitate.
---
When she arrived, the shop was dark, but the upstairs apartment windows glowed. He buzzed her in without a word.
Jace opened the door barefoot, in a threadbare T-shirt and joggers that looked criminally good on him.
"Hi," she said, surprised at how breathless she sounded.
"Hey," he replied, stepping aside to let her in.
There was a pizza box on the coffee table and two beers already open. Vinyl played low from a dusty record player in the corner.
It felt... easy. Too easy.
"You good?" he asked, reading her too well.
She nodded, dropping her keys on the table. "Yeah. Just not used to this."
"This?"
"You. Making it feel like I belong somewhere."
He walked over, touched her wrist gently. "You do. Here. If you want."
She didn't answer—not with words.
She leaned in and kissed him, slower this time, deeper.
No frantic rush. Just the steady heat of something that had been building between them, burning in slow-motion.
Jace pulled her closer, his hands splayed over her back, grounding her.
They broke apart only long enough to breathe.
And then—
Clothes started to vanish.
So did boundaries.
The couch became the center of gravity.
And everything about them—hesitant, electric, bruised and beautiful—collapsed into this one night, where nothing else mattered but now.
---
After, they lay tangled together, half-covered by a blanket, skin damp and warm.
Mira stared at the ceiling. "I didn't plan for this to happen tonight."
"I know," Jace said. "Me neither."
She turned to him. "You okay?"
He looked at her like she'd asked if the stars were still up there. "I'm more than okay. You?"
She nodded. "Scared. But... yeah."
---
They didn't say what it meant. Didn't rush to define it. But it changed something.
Not the fire between them—that had been there from the beginning.
But the way they looked at each other now. Like they'd crossed a line they didn't want to come back from.
And maybe that was the start of something.
Or maybe it was just the next twist.
Either way, they were in it together.