Zane remained in the car long after Willow disappeared inside her building. Rain tapped steadily against the windshield, blurring the street into muted streaks of gold and gray. He made no move to start the engine and no move to clear the glass, watching the water gather until the world beyond it lost its edges.
Her building stood at the far side of his headlights, six floors of aging brick above a narrow street. Most of the windows were dark. One still glowed through a thin curtain, a quiet square of light he didn't need to search for. He already knew which window was hers.
He hadn't planned to stay this long. The plan had been simple: drive her home, see her inside safely, leave before the evening turned into something he had no right to want. Instead he'd ended up across from her at the kitchen counter, watching her eat while the tension between them eased into something that felt almost ordinary.
