Chapter 4: The Room with No Locks
Part 4: The Morning After the Fire
Bea's body was still trembling, her breath just starting to steady again. The world around her felt distant—like everything had faded except the sound of Nova's heartbeat against her ear.
Nova lay on her side, holding Bea close, tracing slow circles on her back with her fingertips. She didn't speak right away. She didn't have to. The silence between them had changed—it was no longer full of tension, but intimacy.
Bea whispered first. "What are we doing?"
Nova looked down at her, brushing a kiss to her forehead. "Burning," she said simply. "But in the best way."
Bea laughed quietly, pressing her face against Nova's chest. "I didn't know it could feel like this."
"Me neither," Nova admitted. Her voice had lost its edge now. It was softer, huskier. Vulnerable. "I've been alone for so long I forgot what it feels like to be… seen."
"You're not alone now," Bea whispered. "Not anymore."
They lay like that for a while, limbs tangled, hearts exposed. Outside, the city stretched into dawn, but they didn't move. They didn't need to. The room smelled like skin and warmth and something new.
When Bea finally lifted her head, her cheeks were flushed, lips still swollen from Nova's kiss. "So what now?"
Nova sat up, reached for her shirt but paused, looking over her shoulder. "That depends. Are you ready for everything that comes with me?"
Bea nodded. "If you are."
Nova's gaze darkened again—not with lust, but with meaning. She got out of bed slowly, crossing the room to a drawer. She pulled something out and walked back, dropping a folded paper into Bea's lap.
Bea unfolded it.
It was a sketch. A rough pencil drawing of her—curled up, asleep on Nova's couch. Delicate shading, tiny details. The softest version of herself, drawn by someone who watched.
"I drew this the night you stayed over," Nova said. "Before anything happened."
Bea's eyes welled. "Why?"
"Because I knew," Nova murmured. "Even then. I knew you'd be the one I'd never forget."
Bea reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together.
The fire had raged between them, but in the aftermath, there was something just as powerful: peace. A knowing. A truth too big for words.
Nova leaned in close, her voice like a vow. "This isn't just a night, Bea. This is a beginning."
And Bea smiled.
"Then let's begin."