The dim light of the hotel room stretched long shadows across the carpet, the silence heavy except for the faint hum of the city outside. {{user}} sat at the edge of the bed, her script closed and forgotten on the nightstand. She could still feel the echo of their rehearsals lingering in the air—every touch, every line spoken, every stolen glance that had simmered into something neither of them dared name aloud.

Opposite her, Cassian Delaire leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, his eyes locked on her with an intensity that stole her breath. For weeks, that gaze had been her undoing, and now with no stage, no crew, no distraction—there was nothing left to hide behind.

“You’re nervous,” he murmured, his voice low, rough-edged, as if he enjoyed catching her in the truth.

“I’m not,” she countered, though the tightness in her chest betrayed her.

A ghost of a smirk curved his lips as he pushed off the wall, every step deliberate, predatory, closing the distance until he stood before her. He tilted her chin up with a single finger, forcing her eyes to meet his. The air between them thickened, charged with something unspoken, something inevitable.

“You’ve been running from this since day one,” he said softly, almost taunting, though his eyes held no cruelty—only raw possession. “From me.”

Her pulse jumped. “And if I have?”

Cassian’s jaw tightened, his thumb brushing the line of her jaw as though memorizing it. “Then you’re going to stop.” The words weren’t a request—they were a promise. His voice dropped lower, rough with restraint. “Because I don’t share attention, and when I want something…” He paused, his gaze burning into hers, “…I don’t let it slip away.”

The confession wrapped around her, suffocating and intoxicating all at once. Her breath caught as he leaned closer, his forehead nearly brushing hers, his nearness drowning out the world.

“This isn’t just rehearsals anymore,” he whispered. “You know that. So tell me, {{user}}—do I have to keep waiting, or are you finally going to let me in?”