But he didn't regret it. Not even a little.
Elara turned her gaze away, sitting up straighter, her composure sliding back into place like armor. And yet, her ears betrayed her, still twitching faintly, still flushed.
Merlin leaned back into the couch, exhaling. His chest felt strangely light, though his heartbeat hadn't slowed.
The world outside the window carried on, distant carriages rumbling down cobbled streets, merchants calling to early customers, the faint chime of a bell from the academy tower far off.
But here, in this moment, nothing else pressed in.
Just the two of them. The closeness. The silence.
And the unspoken truth that, even if neither dared say it yet, something had changed.
Something they couldn't take back.
