Page 26 of Veil of Smoke

“Why are you doing this?” I ask, softer this time.

His voice lowers. “Because the look in your eyes that night at the dock—it stuck.”

I step closer. “Why?”

“Because you didn’t look away,” he says. “Even when you should have.”

We’re too close now. I can feel the heat of him, the sharp contrast between the cold room and the space between us. His hand lifts—only slightly—then stops.

I feel my own breath catch.

He reaches toward my face.

I don't pull away.

But he doesn’t touch me.

His hand hovers, then drops.

“You should rest,” he says, stepping back.

“And if I can’t?”

He exhales. “Then don’t sleep. But don’t leave.”

“I don’t trust you,” I say again.

He nods once. “That’s smart.”

I turn away, move to the cot in the corner, and sit. The cushion sinks under me. I fold my arms across my chest.

Dario pulls a chair up beside the table and sits, facing the door.

Like he’s expecting it to open.

Like he always is.

We don’t speak for a long time.

But we don’t look away from each other either.

Chapter 6 – Dario

I can’t sleep.

My knuckles sting, split open from the fight earlier, but that’s not what keeps me up.

It’s her. Viviana. Lying across a cot I’ve never shared with anyone.

Her scent sticks to my shirt—sharp, warm, like salt and smoke mixed with something I can’t name. I still feel her wrist under my fingers, the moment I let go and she didn’t run.

She should’ve.

Bare feet hit the floor, soft but sure. I turn. Neon buzzes outside, slicing through the boarded windows, casting her in streaks of red and gold. She’s wearing my shirt—loose, half-buttoned, slipping off one shoulder.

A bruise stains her collarbone, dark and fresh from the mess we crawled out of. Her eyes find mine, steady, unflinching.

“I can’t sleep,” she says, voice rough, low.

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