Chapter 180: What? Don’t tell me you two can’t remember me all of a sudden
She took another breath. Let it sit. Let the weight of his words roll off her shoulders like water off armor.
When she finally looked at him again, her expression had shifted. Her eyes had steadied. The softness was still there, but it was tucked carefully behind the glass.
"You can’t do that, Cyrus."
He blinked, head tilting slightly.
"Wait for me like that," she added, tone firmer now. "That’s not... it’s not good for you."
Her hands moved as she spoke, waving vaguely between them like she was trying to untangle invisible string.
"I mean—look at you. Standing out here all night just to make sure I’m okay? That’s not normal, Cyrus. That’s next-level kindness. People don’t do stuff like that. Not unless they’re getting something out of it."
He opened his mouth, probably to say something equally poetic and deeply unhealthy, but she held up a finger.
"I mean it," she said, leveling her gaze at him. "You don’t get to wait for me in your next life, okay? You’re not a dog outside a bakery. You’re not a statue. You’re a whole person, Cyrus. Don’t shrink yourself like that. Not for me."
Her voice caught slightly on the last word, but she steamrolled over it like a pro. Lips tight. Shoulders squared.
She was aware of the fact that her heart was doing parkour in her chest. She was aware of how warm her ears felt. She was aware of how Cyrus was still looking at her with that gentle devotion that made her want to scream and melt into a puddle at the same time.