The wind picked up slightly, carrying the faint scent of rain. I shoved my hands into my pockets to keep them from trembling.
He noticed, of course. He always noticed.
"Cold?" he asked.
"Just a little."
Without a word, he stepped closer and draped his jacket over my shoulders. His fingers brushed the back of my neck — warm, steady — and I froze.
"David…"
"Relax," he said softly. "Just keeping you warm."
But there was something else in his tone — something that made my chest ache.
I looked up at him, and for a moment, it felt like the world had narrowed to just us.
No offices. No polite smiles. Just breath and heartbeat.
"Why are you being so kind to me?" I whispered.
He frowned slightly. "Should not I be?"
"That is not what I mean," I said, voice trembling. "You are… hard to read. You act like you do not let people close, but then you do things like this. It is confusing."
He looked at me for a long moment. Then, quietly,
> "Maybe I am confused too."
