The Only Exception

10. Ugliest Emotion

He was driving slower than usual — almost like he didn't want to get home just yet. Like he was afraid of what would happen once the doors closed behind them. Once the silence could expand even more than it already had.

Asi exhaled quietly, forehead nearly touching the glass. Her breath left a faint fog against the window, and still, she didn't move.

But inside?

Her mind was spiraling.

That kiss.

God.

She closed her eyes.

That kiss had wrecked her.

The softness of his lips, the hunger behind them. The way he pulled her onto his lap like he'd been waiting years, not months. The way he whispered her name between kisses like it was something sacred.

She had never — never — been kissed like that before.

It wasn't just that it was passionate, or hot, or messy. It was that it felt like something true. Something that had always been there beneath the surface, just waiting to erupt. Like the kiss didn't create the fire between them — it simply unleashed what had been burning in silence for far too long.

She could still feel his hands on her waist. Still feel his body under hers, the solidness of him, the heat. The way he whispered "I've wanted this" like it hurt to admit.

And she had wanted it too.

Desperately.

If that phone hadn't rung...

She forced herself to stop.

No. No, no, no.

This wasn't about what she wanted.

This was about what was safe.

What was smart.

She hugged her arms tighter to her chest, the cold from the window brushing her skin.

Alaz was her boss. Her roommate. The father of her children. He was everything and too much and not enough all at once. If they ruined this — if they messed it up — it wouldn't just be heartbreak. It would be a disaster.

They worked together. Lived together. Shared a life that was still forming, still delicate. A misstep now could shatter everything.

She couldn't afford to be reckless. She couldn't be selfish.

The babies came first.

They always came first.

And deep down, she was scared.

Scared of wanting him too much. Scared of waking up one day and realizing he didn't want her the same way anymore. That the heat had faded, and all that was left were awkward silences and custody calendars and separate homes.

She had watched Ruya spiral tonight. Heard the undercurrent of hurt in her voice. Felt her own panic rise the moment she thought about what her children might go through if things fell apart.

No. It wasn't worth it.

The kiss was perfect. Maybe even the most perfect thing she'd ever experienced.

But it would have to stay in the past.

Just one perfect moment.

That's all it could be.

She blinked back into the present when she heard Alaz's voice, low and tentative, cutting through the silence.

"Don't worry," he said softly. "Ruya's fine."