WRITER'S POV:
The flight back home was quiet.Too quiet.Cassius sat in his usual seat on the private jet—centered, stretched out, unreadable. Monday was across the aisle, pretending to read some security report on a tablet, but Ivy knew he hadn't flipped a page in fifteen minutes.She was moving through the cabin, dressed like she always was, hair up, smile practiced.Flight attendant Ivy.Not the girl who'd said I'm yours the night before. Not the girl who had whispered his name into the quiet darkness of their shared room. Just... Ivy, the help.Monday glanced up once and immediately looked away, like the guilt was giving him a rash.Cassius, however, didn't look away.Not once.Every time she passed his line of sight, he watched her. Calm. Possessive. Still. Like he didn't need to say anything to remind her that things had changed.But she tried to play the part.She brought out the tray for his lunch with practiced precision. It was the same wine, the same plating, the same everything that had defined the moment they'd met.Her hand shook slightly as she reached to place it on his table.Cassius reached out. Took the tray.And didn't let go of her hand.She froze."Stop pretending," he said quietly.Her throat tightened. She glanced toward Monday, who was doing an Oscar-worthy performance of pretending to be asleep."I'm working," she whispered."You're hiding."He held her hand firmly, but not possessively. Just present. Real."Do you want to pretend last night didn't happen?" he asked.She opened her mouth, closed it, then looked away."That's not what I—""You're scared again.""Of course I'm scared," she snapped under her breath. "You're... you."Cassius's lips curved faintly. "And yet you stayed."She looked down at their hands."Because I wanted to.""Then stop acting like you didn't."She shook her head, frustrated. "You don't get it. I'm not built for this. I fold napkins and offer sparkling water. I don't... belong in your world.""You belong where I say you do," he said simply.She stared at him. "That's not how real people work."Cassius leaned closer."We're not real people, Ivy. Not you. Not me. Not anymore."Her heart skipped.He let go of her hand then, not because he was done—but because he'd made his point."Sit," he said softly."Cassius—""Sit."She sat.Monday cleared his throat loudly."Oh wow," he said without looking up. "What a nice nap I had. So rested. So... emotionally deaf."Neither of them responded.Because Ivy was sitting beside Cassius now, the tray long forgotten, and he'd reached for her hand again under the table.This time, she held his back.And didn't let go.