Mira woke up to a message the next morning.
Jace: About last night... you okay?
She blinked at the text, trying to gather her thoughts. They'd kissed. It had been simple. But it had felt like the air itself was holding its breath.
Mira: Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?
Jace: I think so. Haven't kissed anyone in a while.
She chuckled, feeling the warmth of that simple confession spread through her.
Mira: I thought you weren't into the whole thing.
Jace: Not a fan of things that complicate everything. But that felt different.
The words were casual, yet not. It wasn't like what she expected. Jace didn't pull punches, didn't hedge around things.
Mira: I agree.
There was a pause. A long one.
Jace: So... do we just act like this is fine now?
Mira stared at the screen, then put the phone down. The answer wasn't clear. She liked him. She liked him a lot. But it wasn't simple. Not for either of them.
But she couldn't ignore the pull between them. The way everything else seemed to fade when he was near. It felt like gravity.
---
That afternoon, Mira found herself on her way to his shop again. She hadn't planned it, but here she was—her feet carrying her down the same familiar sidewalk, drawn to the hum of his little corner of the world.
She pushed the door open, and Jace was there, hunched over a broken toaster.
"Back again?" he said without looking up, his voice carrying the same rough edge as always.
"I was in the neighborhood," she lied, her gaze drifting over the cluttered counters.
His lips quirked. "You need something fixed or...?"
"Maybe I just like the way your shop smells," she said, crossing her arms, leaning casually against the counter.
Jace glanced up, eyes flickering with something that was almost amusement. "You're a strange one, Mira."
"Is that why you kissed me?"
The words were out before she could stop them. But she didn't regret it.
He looked at her for a long time, the sound of the toaster's internal mechanisms clicking as if in time with the beat of her heart. Then he stood, setting it aside, and took a step closer.
"Maybe I kissed you because I couldn't help myself," he said quietly.
Her pulse skipped, but she kept her ground.
"Maybe I kissed you because it felt right," he added, his voice rougher now, softer. "Even if I'm not sure what that means yet."
"I'm not sure either," Mira said, breath catching as he took another step.
He didn't push it further. Instead, he gave her a slow, measured look. "We don't have to figure it out today."
She nodded, relieved by his calm.
"But we can't pretend there's nothing here, either," he added.
And just like that, the space between them had grown tighter, fuller, like a pull neither could fight.
---
She left not long after, feeling the weight of something unspoken between them.
She had no idea what they were doing. Or what it would mean.
But she didn't mind. For the first time in a long time, things felt real. And maybe that was the scariest part of all.