(Michelle Lui's POV)
We left the little maple-tree park slowly, neither of us in a rush, both pretending we weren't hyper-aware of the conversation we just shared. The air felt different now — warmer, gentler, almost charged — like the sunlight had shifted angles just for us.
The street stretched ahead in a lazy curve lined with leafy trees, and a narrow stone path branched toward a quieter park area beside a man-made lake.
Steven glanced at the path.
Then at me.
Then back at the path.
It was the smallest hesitation, but I caught it anyway.
"Do you want to go that way?" I asked softly.
He didn't answer with words.
He simply stepped there first — slow, careful, but unmistakably choosing the direction that led us somewhere quieter.
My heart fluttered.
We walked side by side, close enough that our arms almost brushed with every step. Almost.
