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Short filmTranscript
00:00The noon heat hums along the street as if the whole city is breathing against my neck, urging me to hurry.
00:06The plastic container of hot soup warms both my palms.
00:10My fingers sting a little, but I don't let go.
00:13I hate the thought of the old woman waiting, hunched at her usual bench near the fruit stall,
00:18clutching her torn canvas bag like it's the last thread keeping her tethered to this loud, relentless world.
00:24I reach her spot and exhale when I see her.
00:27She's smiling already, gums bare, eyes shining like polished amber.
00:32Got you the chicken one today, I say.
00:35Extra noodles.
00:36Her thin hands tremble as she reaches for the container.
00:39You're a blessing, my girl.
00:42Nobody has ever called me that without wanting something.
00:45But she says it with no angle, no hook, no mask.
00:49I slide onto the bench beside her and set the soup on her lap before she drops it.
00:54Then I start counting the coins in my palm.
00:57I know exactly how much is there, but maybe if I count slow, it won't feel like defeat.
01:03You don't have to pay me, I tell her, which is half true.
01:06I don't want her to.
01:08But the coins help me pretend I'm not slipping further behind on everything else.
01:12Rent, groceries, that light bill blinking red on my phone whenever I open the Reminder app.
01:17She pushes the coins back, stubborn as always.
01:22Take it.
01:23It keeps the world balanced.
01:25I smile even though something aches.
01:28Lady, the world isn't balanced.
01:30Her laugh creaks, soft and light.
01:33I'm about to insist when a shadow falls across my hands.
01:37Not an actual shadow.
01:38More like a shift in air pressure.
01:41A presence that makes my pulse stumble and my spine stiffen.
01:44And when I look up, my breath folds in half.
01:47He stands there, tailored shirt rolled at the sleeves, sunlit fabric stretching across tattooed
01:54forearms traced in metallic ink.
01:56Rings flash at his fingers, not gaudy, just intentional.
02:01He looks like a man sculpted out of authority and heat, someone whose name opens doors and
02:05ends arguments.
02:07His eyes land on me.
02:09They're a cool, assessing hazel.
02:11But something sparks behind them, a flicker like he recognizes something he wasn't expecting.
02:16I don't know him.
02:18I've definitely never seen him.
02:20But he watches me like he's been waiting.
02:23Stop, he says.
02:25The word lands between us, soft but absolute.
02:29My throat tightens.
02:31Excuse me?
02:32He gestures at the coins.
02:34Put those away and sit.
02:36I owe you something.
02:38I blink, stunned.
02:39The old woman squints up at him like he's a walking television turned too loud.
02:45I start to speak.
02:46Maybe to argue, maybe to laugh, but nothing leaves my mouth.
02:50Because now he's looking at the soup on her lap, then back at me, and there's something
02:55almost gentle in the angle of his jaw.
02:57I've seen you do this three times, he says, always counting change after, always refusing
03:03her money.
03:04His gaze dips to the coins still in my hand.
03:08Enough.
03:09Enough.
03:10Like he's drawing some invisible boundary around my struggle and deciding it ends here.
03:15I don't know you, I finally say.
03:18Heat rising in my chest.
03:19And I don't need anything from you.
03:22His smile tilts.
03:24People who say that usually need the most.
03:27My pulse trips again.
03:28Arrogant.
03:29Beautiful.
03:30Dangerous.
03:30The kind of man my mother warned me about before she spiraled so far into her own chaos, she
03:35forgot she had a daughter to protect.
03:37I slide the coins into my pocket and stand, ready to walk away before this becomes a story I'll
03:42regret.
03:43But he steps aside, letting me move if I want to.
03:47No blocking, no intimidation.
03:49Just presence.
03:51Control without touching anything.
03:52What's your name?
03:53What's your name?
03:54He asks.
03:55I should lie.
03:57I always lie to strangers.
03:58But the truth slips out like it's been restless inside me.
04:02Alara.
04:03Alara, he repeats, tasting it.
04:07I'm Cassian.
04:08The name thuds against my ribs with recognition.
04:12Not personal recognition.
04:14Reputation recognition.
04:17Cassian Vale.
04:18Rumored head of the Vale Syndicate.
04:21The man half the city pretends not to fear during daylight, then whispers about when the
04:25sun goes down.
04:27A man whose decisions ripple outward like a tide you either ride or drown in.
04:31My stomach tightens.
04:34I've heard the stories.
04:35Everybody has.
04:37You're that Cassian.
04:40He tilts his head.
04:42Are there many?
04:43I swallow.
04:45I should go.
04:47You should, he agrees softly.
04:49But you won't.
04:51His eyes meet mine again, almost curious.
04:55Not when you're this tired of standing alone.
04:57The words hit me in the softest part of my chest, the one I guard with jokes and sharp
05:02exits.
05:03I hate that he sees it.
05:05I also hate that he's not wrong.
05:08The old lady chuckles suddenly, startling both of us.
05:11He's right, you know.
05:13You walk like someone carrying everyone else.
05:15I feel my throat burning.
05:18Not tears.
05:19Just the sting of being seen.
05:22I don't need his help.
05:23I say more to myself than to either of them.
05:26Cassian's voice lowers.
05:27I didn't offer help.
05:29I said I owe you.
05:31For what?
05:33For being decent in a city that's forgotten how, he says.
05:37Let me balance the world for once.
05:40That catches me off guard.
05:42Something shifts in my chest, like a door I thought was bolted loosens a little.
05:47But I shake my head.
05:49I don't know what you think you're offering, but...
05:52He steps closer.
05:53Not crowding.
05:55Just enough that I can smell the faint citrus of his cologne, like sunlit peel and warm skin.
06:00Lunch, he says.
06:02With me.
06:02I freeze.
06:03What?
06:05I...
06:05You bought her soup.
06:07Let me buy you food that isn't scalding your hands.
06:10A beat.
06:11Say yes.
06:13My heart beats against my ribs like it's trying to climb out.
06:17This is weird.
06:19I whisper.
06:20Everything worth starting is.
06:23I hate that my lips almost curve.
06:25I hate the spark running down my spine, quick and reckless.
06:29I hate that part of me, the lonely, worn, thin part, wants to say yes.
06:33But then the other part of me rises, the one shaped by years of watching my mother fall
06:39for dangerous charisma and toxic promises, the one who swore I'd never orbit a man who
06:44could ruin my life casually.
06:46I can't, I say.
06:47His jaw shifts.
06:49Not anger.
06:50Calculation.
06:51Understanding, even.
06:52You're scared, he says.
06:54No.
06:55Too fast.
06:57He nods, like he respects the lie.
06:59Then tell me the real reason.
07:01You're...
07:02You.
07:03My voice strains.
07:05And I'm not interested in stepping into anything risky.
07:08Everything's risky, he says, including kindness.
07:12He has this way of speaking that feels like it bypasses my brain and plugs straight into
07:16my pulse.
07:18I step back to breathe.
07:20The old lady eats quietly, pretending she's not listening, though her eyes keep flicking
07:24upward with poorly disguised interest.
07:27Cassian watches me like he's memorizing every flicker of hesitation.
07:30I'm not asking for your trust.
07:33Just one meal, one conversation.
07:36I shake my head again, softer this time.
07:39I don't want to owe you anything.
07:42You won't, he says.
07:44I already owe you.
07:46I exhale slowly.
07:49This man is dangerous, not just in reputation, but in the way he talks.
07:54Calm.
07:55Certain.
07:56Like he's asking for the simplest thing in the world.
07:58I turn to leave.
08:00He lets me.
08:02But before I take a second step, chaos erupts behind us.
08:07A shout.
08:07The thud of running feet.
08:10A teenager grabs the old woman's bag and sprints toward the corner.
08:13She screams, clutching at air.
08:15I don't think.
08:16I just react.
08:17Hey!
08:18I shout, lunging forward like instinct hijacked my whole body.
08:22Cassian moves at the same time, only faster.
08:25He catches the kid by the back of his shirt before he makes it five steps, spinning him
08:29around with a grip that doesn't bruise but promises consequences.
08:33The teenager freezes, eyes wide with terror.
08:37Cassian's voice drops into something colder than steel and sunlight.
08:40Give it back.
08:42The kid hands over the bag instantly.
08:44Cassian lets him go but points down the street.
08:47Run!
08:48And the boy does, sprinting like he's been reborn.
08:52He turns back to me.
08:53Don't chase after thieves alone.
08:56His voice is softer now.
08:58You could have gotten hurt.
09:00Well, I didn't, I say breathlessly, though I'm still shaking.
09:05You would have if I wasn't here.
09:08Something in the way he says that unravels me a little.
09:12Because it feels true.
09:14And because I can't remember the last time someone's presence made me feel less alone
09:17instead of more endangered.
09:19He hands the bag back to the old woman, who blesses him under her breath like he's a saint
09:23instead of a rumor.
09:25Then he looks at me again.
09:27Not demanding.
09:28Just steady.
09:30Lunch, he says.
09:31Let me feed you before you faint from pure stubbornness.
09:36My lips twitch despite everything.
09:38You're relentless.
09:41That's usually what people thank me for later.
09:43I breathe out, and the air tastes different.
09:47Charged.
09:47Brighter.
09:48Like the universe is waiting for my answer.
09:51Fine.
09:52I whisper.
09:53Lunch.
09:54And his smile is small.
09:56Rare.
09:57Almost startled.
09:58But before the warmth can settle in my chest, he glances over my shoulder, and his whole expression
10:03shifts.
10:04Hardens.
10:05Hardens.
10:06Narrows.
10:07The kind of look that makes my skin prickle.
10:10Get behind me, he says quietly.
10:13What?
10:14Why?
10:15He doesn't look at me, eyes locked on something approaching through the midday crowd.
10:21Alara, he murmurs.
10:23Now.
10:24And I step behind him without another word.
10:26Cassian stands in front of me like a wall carved from certainty, shoulders squared, gaze
10:37locked on the man approaching through the early afternoon bustle.
10:40People weave past with grocery bags, iced coffees, bright chatter, all unbothered by the vibration
10:47of threat moving straight toward us.
10:49I can't see the man's face yet, just the confidence in his stride, the kind that usually
10:54comes from either money or danger.
10:57Maybe both.
10:59Cassian.
11:01I whisper, fingers tingling with nerves.
11:04Is this someone you know?
11:07Yes.
11:08His voice thins, stretched tight.
11:11And someone you don't want near you.
11:13My heart kicks.
11:15Not a warning, a demand.
11:17I stay behind him, even though every instinct screams at me to run.
11:21When the man gets close enough, I finally see his expression.
11:24He's smiling, but it's the wrong kind of smile.
11:28Warm on the surface, sharpened underneath.
11:31He's younger than Cassian by a few years.
11:34Sharply dressed, sleeves rolled to show gold bracelets, dark hair slicked too perfect.
11:38His whole energy feels rehearsed, like he practices his confidence in the mirror.
11:44Fail, he says, stopping a few feet away.
11:47Didn't expect to find you playing hero today.
11:50Cassian doesn't move.
11:51Walk away, Orion.
11:53The man's smile widens.
11:55I'm just here to talk.
11:57Walk away.
11:58My stomach coils.
12:00I don't know who this Orion is, but the name alone pulses like something infamous.
12:06Orion flicks his gaze to me.
12:08Ah, and who's this?
12:10I stiffen, fingers curling against themselves.
12:14Cassian shifts just enough to block Orion's view of me again.
12:18She's none of your business, Cassian says.
12:21Orion lifts his hands like he's surrendering, except his grin says otherwise.
12:26Relax.
12:27I'm not here to start trouble in front of a pretty stranger.
12:31Cassian's jaw flexes.
12:33You're not starting anything anywhere near her.
12:36The heat under Orion's expression sharpens, amusement turning into challenge.
12:41Since when do you get attached?
12:44You barely keep staff longer than a season.
12:47I'm not having this conversation, Cassian snaps.
12:50Especially not here.
12:53Orion's eyes gleam, delighted by the reaction.
12:57People are starting to wonder about you, Vale.
13:00Cassian takes one small step forward.
13:02The crowd noise seems to fade as if the whole street is waiting to see what happens.
13:07This is your last warning.
13:09Orion's grin flattens into something cool.
13:13Tell your men to stay in their lane.
13:15Next time I won't be so friendly.
13:17He turns away, walking off like he just dropped a match and expects the fire to follow him.
13:22I breathe only when he disappears into the crowd.
13:25Cassian, I say softly.
13:28Who was that?
13:29His shoulders ease a fraction.
13:32He turns toward me, but the warmth from before has drained from his expression.
13:35Someone trying to prove he's underestimated.
13:39That sounds...
13:41Ominous?
13:42It's annoying, he mutters.
13:45And temporary.
13:47The old lady is gone, shuffling away unnoticed during the tension.
13:52I'm glad she left.
13:53Glad she's not caught in this world I just brushed against.
13:57Cassian looks at me again, and something different flickers through his eyes.
14:01Concern, maybe.
14:02Or the beginning of a confession he doesn't want to voice yet.
14:06Are you okay?
14:07He asks.
14:08I think so.
14:10The truth buzzes in my chest.
14:12I didn't expect my day to turn into...
14:15Whatever that was.
14:17His mouth lifts faintly.
14:19You handled it better than most civilians would.
14:23I'm not sure that's a compliment.
14:25It is.
14:26He studies my face, his gaze tracing over every micro-reaction, almost tender in its intensity.
14:33Lunch, he says again, before anything else happens that makes you run from me.
14:38I blink.
14:39I wasn't running.
14:41You were thinking about it.
14:43I bite my lip.
14:45Because he's right.
14:47He extends a hand slightly, palm open, not touching me.
14:50Let me feed you, Alara.
14:53No threats.
14:55No interruptions.
14:56His voice softens into something irresistible.
15:00And maybe I'm tired or hungry.
15:02Or just lonely in that bone-deep way that makes me reckless.
15:06But I nod.
15:07Okay.
15:09A quiet exhale slips from him.
15:11Almost relieved.
15:12He takes me to a sunny cafe a few blocks away.
15:16Yellow umbrellas, outdoor tables, plates clinking, citrus scents floating through the air.
15:21Everything bright, harmless, ordinary.
15:24Which only makes Cassian look more extraordinary.
15:27The contrast almost poetic.
15:29We sit across from each other, and I suddenly don't know where to put my hands.
15:34He doesn't seem to have that problem.
15:36Cassian moves with deliberate calm, like he's been trained to own whatever space he occupies.
15:42The server arrives, cheeks pink when she sees him.
15:45Welcome back, Mr. Vale.
15:47Two lemonades, Cassian says.
15:49And the Capri's panini for her.
15:52I raise a brow.
15:53You order for all your...
15:55accomplices?
15:57His smile edges into a smirk.
15:59Only when they look like they haven't eaten since yesterday.
16:02I flush.
16:04I've eaten.
16:05Coffee doesn't count.
16:07How did you...
16:09I pay attention.
16:11The intimacy of that statement rattles me more than Orion did.
16:15I shift in my seat, trying to anchor myself.
16:18So, I say.
16:20You're going to pretend this is normal?
16:22Two strangers having lunch after confronting a thief and a rival?
16:26I don't have rivals, he says casually.
16:29Only distractions.
16:31And that man was a distraction?
16:33A loud one.
16:35His voice drops.
16:37But you're the only unpredictable part of my day right now.
16:40The lemonade arrives just in time for me to take a long sip and hide behind the glass.
16:46Cassian watches me quietly.
16:48He doesn't rush the silence.
16:50He lets it settle, warm, unforcing.
16:54Maybe that's why I speak.
16:56My mom used to do it, I say, staring at the condensation on my glass.
17:01Give food to people who had less.
17:04Even when we barely had anything.
17:06She liked feeling like she wasn't drowning alone.
17:10Cassian's eyes sharpen with attention.
17:12Is she still around?
17:14The question hits a bruise I didn't expect to share.
17:18Somewhere, she ran off when I was 16.
17:20Said she needed to...
17:22Start over.
17:23I guess I wasn't part of the fresh start.
17:26Cassian doesn't wince or soften.
17:28He doesn't offer pity.
17:30He just looks at me with a quiet intensity that feels like an open palm under my ribs,
17:34steadying something inside me.
17:36You deserved better than that, he says.
17:39The way he says it, low and sure, makes my throat tighten.
17:44I'm used to it, I say.
17:47People leaving.
17:49He leans forward.
17:50I don't leave.
17:52That's...
17:53not exactly comforting, given your...
17:55I gesture vaguely toward his whole aura.
17:59Life.
18:00He studies me like he wants to understand the parts I don't show people.
18:05You're scared of what being seen by me would mean.
18:07I laugh softly.
18:09I met you an hour ago.
18:12And you're already building exits.
18:14I freeze.
18:16He's not wrong.
18:18The server brings food, and thankfully, neither of us speaks for a moment.
18:21I take a bite of the panini, and the warm mozzarella melts just enough to make me sigh.
18:27Cassian notices.
18:28Good?
18:30Ridiculously.
18:32A flicker of satisfaction touches his features, quick and unguarded.
18:36We fall into a rhythm.
18:38Small talk.
18:39Teasing.
18:41Silence that doesn't feel empty.
18:43Every time he looks at me, something in my chest curls tighter,
18:47as if recognizing a truth I'm not ready to name.
18:50But beneath all that brightness, I can feel something else brewing.
18:54A tension in Cassian's shoulders.
18:56A hitch in his gaze every time his phone buzzes.
18:59He keeps ignoring it, but unease threads through the air like barely there smoke.
19:04I lean in.
19:06You're distracted.
19:08He exhales.
19:09I didn't want this lunch to involve my world.
19:12But it does.
19:13It always does, he admits.
19:15And that confession hits deeper than it should.
19:19We finish eating, and for a breath, it feels like we're suspended in a reality just ours.
19:25No thieves.
19:27No rivals.
19:28No history scarred into our bones.
19:30Then his phone vibrates again.
19:33Hard.
19:34Persistent.
19:35Cassian picks it up, jaw tightening as he reads the message.
19:38He stands.
19:40Cassian?
19:41I stand too.
19:43What happened?
19:45He looks at me, and there's a fracture in his calm now.
19:48A crack that lets something raw and dangerous shine through.
19:52Ilara, he says quietly.
19:54Someone followed you here.
19:56My pulse drops into my stomach.
19:58What?
19:59He steps closer, gaze scanning the street behind me.
20:04Orion didn't just show up for me.
20:05He saw you.
20:07But why would he—
20:08You talked back, Cassian says.
20:11You didn't flinch.
20:13Men like him don't forget women who refuse to look small.
20:16My knees weaken.
20:18I didn't do anything.
20:20You existed in the wrong moment.
20:23His anger isn't at me.
20:25It's at the world.
20:27At the fact that he brought me into his orbit and something predatory noticed.
20:31I swallow hard.
20:32What do we do?
20:34He meets my gaze.
20:36Something tender and fierce rising like heat from stone.
20:40You let me protect you.
20:42The vulnerability of that statement hits me harder than any threat.
20:46But before I can answer, a shattering sound snaps through the air.
20:49The explosion of glass from a nearby parked car.
20:53Cassian grabs my wrist and pulls me behind him.
20:55People scream and scatter.
20:57Sunlight glints off broken shards littering the pavement like spilled stars.
21:01A message is wedged into the shattered windshield of Cassian's own car.
21:05A single line.
21:06Thick and red.
21:07She's a good weakness.
21:09Keep her.
21:10I'll take her later.
21:12I feel the blood drain from my face.
21:15Cassian lifts the note, eyes burning.
21:18When he turns toward me, the expression he wears is a promise edged in steel.
21:21This is on me, he says softly.
21:26Too softly.
21:27And I won't let him touch you.
21:29I shake, breath stuttering.
21:32I didn't ask to be part of this.
21:35No, he murmurs.
21:37But I pulled you in the moment I walked toward you.
21:40His hand cups my elbow, grounding me.
21:43Alara, come with me.
21:44Now.
21:46A tear slips down my cheek, uninvited.
21:49I barely know you.
21:50His voice breaks open.
21:52Then let this be the start of knowing.
21:55My chest tightens so painfully I almost fold.
21:58Because I want to believe him.
22:00Because something in me already does.
22:03Please.
22:04Cassian adds.
22:05The word raw.
22:07I nod.
22:08Heart thundering.
22:10Okay.
22:11We move fast, weaving through the scattering crowd.
22:15My pulse is a drumbeat in my ears.
22:18Cassian keeps glancing back, his body tense, alert.
22:22Capable of violence but wrapped in worry meant for me alone.
22:25We reach an alley behind the cafe.
22:28Bright with midday sun reflecting off whitewashed walls.
22:31No shadows.
22:32No hiding places.
22:34Just open clarity that exposes every truth.
22:38Cassian turns to me.
22:39Breath unsteady.
22:41I shouldn't have come near you, he says.
22:43I knew what I was.
22:45I knew what it would do.
22:46My voice cracks.
22:48But you did.
22:50Yes, he says, stepping closer.
22:54Because you looked at that old woman like she mattered.
22:56And no one like you should ever walk through this city unnoticed.
22:59His confession slices through me, tender and devastating.
23:05You're not responsible for my life, I whisper.
23:08But I want to be, he says, voice thickening.
23:12That's the problem.
23:14An ache opens in my chest, too full, too fast.
23:18Cassian.
23:18He silences his own name with a breath that shivers.
23:21Ilarra, if you stay with me even an hour longer, I'm not letting you disappear from my life after.
23:28My heart stumbles.
23:29You can't say stuff like that.
23:32I just did.
23:33I look at him, at this powerful, feared man admitting something raw enough to cut him open.
23:39And I know, he means every syllable.
23:43But before I can answer, something slams into Cassian from behind, a force that knocks him forward into me.
23:50I scream as he falls against me and pain rips across his shoulder.
23:54Bright red blossoms across his shirt.
23:55A gunshot cracks the air a second too late.
23:59Cassian grunts, dragging me down with him behind a row of crates.
24:03His hand comes up, pressing my head to his chest, shielding me.
24:08Ilarra.
24:09His voice strains, breath hitching.
24:11Stay down.
24:13Blood runs warm across my arm.
24:15My heart tears itself apart.
24:18Cassian, I whisper, shaking violently.
24:22You're hit.
24:22He meets my eyes, pain and fury warring in his expression.
24:27Don't.
24:28Be scared.
24:29I've had worse.
24:31Another shot ricochets off metal nearby.
24:34Someone screams in the distance.
24:37Cassian's hand finds mine, squeezing.
24:40I told you.
24:41He breathes.
24:42I don't leave.
24:44His fingers slip slightly.
24:46My heart shatters.
24:47Cassian!
24:48But he closes his eyes just for a second.
24:51And it feels like a lifetime.
25:02Cassian's weight crushes me toward the sunlit pavement, his blood soaking warm across my arm.
25:07The gunshot echo still vibrates through the alley.
25:10But there's a strange hush now, like the city is holding its breath with me.
25:15Cassian!
25:15I choke out, my voice cracking on the edges.
25:19Cassian!
25:20Stay with me!
25:22His breath shudders.
25:24I'm here.
25:25But even in those two words, I can hear the fight slipping, thinning.
25:30I press my palm against his wound, desperate to stop the bleeding, the world narrowing to
25:35the heat of his skin and the metallic scent of fear.
25:39Not mine.
25:40His.
25:41The idea of losing him terrifies me in a way that feels unearned but real, like my soul
25:46sprinted ahead of reason and tied itself to his without asking permission.
25:50Help is coming, he says, wincing.
25:54Just hold on.
25:56You're the one who needs to hold on, I whisper.
26:00A small sound escapes him, half laugh, half pain, like he wants to reassure me but his body
26:05won't cooperate.
26:07He reaches up, fingers brushing my cheek with a tenderness that destroys me.
26:12Don't cry.
26:13I'm not.
26:14I lie, tears blurring the sun into streaks.
26:18He looks at me the way someone looks at something they never expected to have.
26:21You're stronger than this moment.
26:24And you're bleeding out in my lap, I say, voice trembling.
26:29His eyes soften with something raw.
26:31Alara, I told you I don't leave.
26:35The words land somewhere deep in me, shaking loose a truth I didn't realize was waiting.
26:40You're not allowed to leave.
26:42I whisper fiercely.
26:44Not now.
26:46Voices echo down the street.
26:48Hurried steps.
26:49Shouts.
26:50The clatter of metal.
26:51Cassian stiffens, then relaxes slightly.
26:55My men, he murmurs.
26:57They'll get us out.
27:00Everything becomes motion then.
27:02Bodies surrounding us.
27:03Sunlight flashing off polished guns.
27:06Someone pulling me gently aside while two men lift Cassian carefully.
27:09No, I gasp, trying to follow.
27:12I need to.
27:14A man with sandy hair and warm brown eyes catches my elbow.
27:18Alara, right?
27:19He says.
27:21Cassian said to make sure you stay with him.
27:23That breaks me.
27:25I let them guide me to the SUV waiting at the end of the alley.
27:29Cassian is already inside, slumped but breathing, jaw clenched with stubborn life.
27:34He reaches for me weakly.
27:37Come here.
27:38And I do.
27:40Instantly.
27:42Because nothing in me can move in any direction that isn't toward him.
27:46I slide into the seat beside him, and he catches my hand like it's the only stable thing he has left.
27:52Don't look like that, he whispers, eyes closing.
27:56I've had worse.
27:57You keep saying that, I breathe, and it doesn't make it less terrifying.
28:04His thumb moves over my knuckles.
28:06It wasn't supposed to touch you.
28:08It did, I say.
28:10It hit everything.
28:12He opens his eyes again, hazel sharp, pained, stubborn.
28:17I'll fix this.
28:19I shake my head.
28:20Just stay alive first.
28:23He smirks faintly, like the pain is nothing but a mild inconvenience.
28:27But then his face pales, and he slips sideways, head resting against the seat.
28:33Cassian?
28:34I touch his cheek.
28:36Cassian stay awake.
28:38He breathes out, soft, fading.
28:40Don't leave me.
28:42I'm not going anywhere, I whisper, my voice breaking in half.
28:47His fingers loosen.
28:49Then the world blurs.
28:51The safe house.
28:51Later, I sit beside Cassian as doctors, real ones, not shady back alley ones, treat him
28:59in a bright living room turned makeshift medical suite.
29:03Light pours through the windows, catching dust motes and gold.
29:06Everything smells like antiseptic and citrus diffusers, a strangely comforting combination.
29:11I should feel out of place here, surrounded by men in fitted button-downs and tattoos that
29:16tell whole stories.
29:17But all I feel is tethered to the man on the couch, watching his chest rise and fall under
29:22the white gauze.
29:24The sandy-haired man from earlier stands beside me.
29:27I'm Luca, he says, Cassian second.
29:31I nod, unable to drag my eyes from Cassian.
29:35Is he...
29:36He'll live, Luca says.
29:38He's too annoying to die.
29:40My laugh is thin but real.
29:42Good.
29:44Luca studies me with something like respect.
29:46You didn't panic.
29:48I did, I murmur.
29:50Just...
29:51Later.
29:52Most people run when things get loud, he says.
29:55You didn't.
29:57I couldn't.
29:59Because my heart didn't give me permission.
30:01Luca nods slowly, like he understands.
30:04He's different with you.
30:06I stiffen.
30:07We barely know each other.
30:09That doesn't mean he doesn't know, Luca says cryptically.
30:13I open my mouth to ask what that means, but Cassian stirs, a soft sound escaping him.
30:19I rush to his side.
30:21His eyes flutter open, hazy, but landing on me with startling precision.
30:24Ilarra.
30:27My heart flips violently.
30:29Hey, you're awake.
30:30He scans my face like checking for cracks.
30:33You're safe.
30:34You're the one who got shot, I whisper.
30:37I've survived worse, he croaks.
30:40I shake my head.
30:42You already used that line.
30:44He smiles.
30:45Small, tired, devastating.
30:48Still true.
30:49When he tries to sit up, I push gently against his shoulder.
30:53Stop moving.
30:54If you tear your stitches, I'm going to scream.
30:57Then I'll behave, he murmurs, easing back.
31:01Silence settles for a moment.
31:03Bright.
31:03Clear.
31:04Honest.
31:06Then his gaze shifts colder.
31:09Where's Orion?
31:10Gone, Luca says from behind me.
31:13We didn't catch the shooter.
31:15Cassian curses under his breath, then looks at me again,
31:18expression tightening.
31:19I put you in his sights.
31:21You didn't put me anywhere, I say.
31:24He chose violence.
31:26That's not on you.
31:27His jaw clenches.
31:29Keeping you close makes you a target.
31:31Letting me walk away makes me a bigger one, I counter.
31:35He wanted to hurt you.
31:36I was just convenient.
31:38Cassian stares at me, something like awe flickering through his pain.
31:43You're not supposed to understand this world.
31:46I don't, I admit.
31:47I just understand you in it.
31:50His inhale stutters.
31:52Alara, he whispers.
31:53Why aren't you afraid of me?
31:56I am, I say honestly.
31:58Just not in the way you think.
32:00His brows draw together.
32:02Then how?
32:04I'm afraid of how much you already matter.
32:07The confession leaves me raw.
32:08Bare.
32:09Exposed.
32:10A truth dragged from a place I usually keep locked.
32:13Cassian closes his eyes.
32:15Breath trembling.
32:17Say that again.
32:19No.
32:20I laugh softly.
32:21Wiping a tear I didn't feel fall.
32:23Once was humiliating enough.
32:26He opens his eyes and something new burns there.
32:29A vulnerability he probably hides from everyone else.
32:32A softness wrapped in danger.
32:34A lara, he says.
32:37If you give me any part of you, I won't take it lightly.
32:40I don't know how to love people halfway.
32:42My chest tightens painfully.
32:44I don't need halfway.
32:46He curses under his breath again.
32:48Not angry, but overwhelmed.
32:50I didn't want this.
32:52I didn't want to care.
32:54I didn't either.
32:55He lifts his hand.
32:57I take it, letting our fingers interlace.
33:01His thumb strokes the back of my hand with aching gentleness.
33:05If you stay, everything changes.
33:09Everything already changed.
33:12His breath catches.
33:12But, I whisper, I won't stay if you think protecting me means locking me out of your life.
33:20He swallows hard.
33:21I don't.
33:23Then what do you want, Cassian?
33:25His eyes hold mine with unflinching clarity.
33:28You.
33:30The word falls like sunlight cracking open a cold room.
33:33Before I can respond, Luca clears his throat.
33:36Boss, we need a plan before Orion takes another shot.
33:40Cassian doesn't look away from me.
33:42She stays with us.
33:44Cassian, I start.
33:46No, he says, grip tightening.
33:48He shot me to scare you.
33:50He'll come again.
33:51You're safer with me than anywhere else.
33:54Luca nods once.
33:55We'll secure the perimeter.
33:58As he steps out, the room quiets again.
34:01Cassian shifts slightly, wincing.
34:04You shouldn't talk so much, I whisper.
34:07He smirks faintly.
34:09You keep saying things that require replies.
34:12Then stop replying.
34:14He closes his eyes like he's fighting a smile.
34:17Impossible.
34:18I brush my thumb along his knuckles.
34:20You scared me.
34:22I confess.
34:23He opens his eyes again, truth shining through the pain.
34:26I know.
34:28And I'm sorry.
34:30Don't apologize for getting hurt trying to protect me.
34:34I'm apologizing for letting you see the part of my world I never wanted near you.
34:38I exhale, leaning closer.
34:42You don't get to decide what I can or can't handle.
34:45You should run, he says softly.
34:48Do you want me to?
34:50A long silence.
34:52Then, no.
34:53I nod.
34:55Then stop pushing me away.
34:57His throat works as he swallows.
35:00I don't deserve how you look at me.
35:02Let me decide what you deserve.
35:04Cassian exhales.
35:05The sound shaky, like a man unclenching after a lifetime of holding tension.
35:10If you stay, he says, I'll fight for you.
35:14Then stay alive, I whisper.
35:16He squeezes my hand.
35:18I intend to.
35:20Hours later, Cassian sleeps, breathing steady, his hand still curled loosely around mine.
35:26The room is warm, filled with late afternoon light.
35:31Luca checks in occasionally, nodding approvingly each time he sees Cassian hasn't let go of me.
35:36When he wakes again, the sun is lower, glazing his skin in gold.
35:39Still here, he rasps.
35:42Still here, I say.
35:43His smile is soft.
35:45Good.
35:47He shifts, testing his shoulder.
35:49I'll heal.
35:50I know.
35:51But things won't be calm.
35:54I know that, too.
35:56He studies me.
35:57You're not running.
35:59No, I whisper.
36:01I'm walking towards you.
36:04Something breaks open in his expression.
36:06Quiet relief.
36:07Fierce devotion.
36:08A tenderness he probably hides from everyone else.
36:11He lifts my hand to his lips, kissing my fingers with slow deliberation.
36:16Then I'll meet you every step.
36:18Emotion stings behind my ribs.
36:20Too full to hold.
36:22He leans back, eyes softening.
36:24Alara, I don't want perfection.
36:27I just want you safe, beside me, and honest.
36:30I can do honest, I whisper.
36:33As long as you do the same.
36:35I will, he promises.
36:37No half-truths.
36:38No shields.
36:40I exhale shakily.
36:42Then we're starting something.
36:44His smirk returns, gentle this time.
36:47We already did.
36:49I laugh softly, brushing hair from his forehead.
36:51You know, keeping someone alive is a dramatic first date.
36:57He huffs a weak laugh.
36:59I'll plan something less eventful next time.
37:02There'll be a next time?
37:04There'll be every time you'll have me.
37:07My throat tightens again.
37:09Cassian.
37:10Ilara.
37:12I lean forward until our foreheads touch,
37:15his breath warm across my lips,
37:17his fingers tracing the back of my hand with fragile reverence.
37:21For a moment, there's no danger.
37:23No Orion.
37:24No fear.
37:26Just us.
37:27Two people who didn't ask for this connection but found it anyway.
37:31I'm not walking away, I whisper.
37:35I won't let you, he murmurs back.
37:38But there's no threat in it.
37:40Only hope.
37:42Only healing.
37:44Only love beginning where neither of us expected it.
37:48And for the first time in years,
37:49I feel safe stepping into someone else's gravity.
37:52Because he steps into mine too.
37:54If you felt your heartbeat sync with mine,
37:57stick around.
37:58Hit subscribe, tap like, leave a comment,
38:01or share this story with someone who loves messy,
38:04magnetic, soul-deep romance as much as you do.
38:07Your support keeps these stories alive.
38:09And I'd love to have you with me for the next one.
38:12Come back for more.
38:13I'll be waiting.
38:14I'll be waiting.
38:14I'll be waiting.
38:15I'll be waiting.
38:15I'll be waiting.
38:15I'll be waiting.
38:16I'll be waiting.
38:16I'll be waiting.
38:16I'll be waiting.
38:16I'll be waiting.
38:17I'll be waiting.
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