Julie didn't know how much time had passed. It could've been minutes or hours, but it didn't matter anymore.
Everything else had faded into background noise, the forest, the mission, the idea that she was supposed to be resisting his affection.
All of it melted away under the soft weight of his embrace. She felt like she was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth, and it was just too nice to let go of.
She didn't want to think about duty or roles or what she was "supposed" to be doing. Not when his arms around her made her feel like she belonged there more than anywhere else. And so, she didn't resist.
She just let herself be held by Cassius, and felt every small motion of his hand stroking her back, felt the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath her ear, and just melted deeper into him. It was comforting in a way she hadn't known she needed.
Her father had once told her something, something that always sounded a bit silly to her back then.
