Marvis POV
I thought leaving that bathroom would silence the storm.
I was wrong.
The moment Melody walked out, something inside me followed her. Something I couldn't pull back, no matter how hard I tried to shut it down. The space she had occupied still carried her warmth. Her scent lingered faintly, enough to chase my thoughts in circles.
I couldn't think straight.
Not with the memory of her so close. So real.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her standing there. Chest rising and falling with quiet frustration. Eyes burning with something she didn't say out loud. Lips trembling as if they wanted to speak, to challenge me, to ask why I kept getting under her skin.
I didn't need her to say it. I already knew.
She was under mine too.
I left the party early. I couldn't deal with the noise anymore. Not when every face I passed reminded me of the one I wanted. Not when every sound made me crave silence just so I could replay her voice again.
The moment I stepped into my penthouse, I loosened my collar and tossed my jacket to the side. But nothing relieved the heat in my chest. It had nothing to do with the weather. It was Melody. Every piece of her was imprinted on me like a fire I couldn't put out.
I sat on the edge of the couch, elbows resting on my knees. My hand moved to the back of my neck, squeezing the tension that had taken hold since I watched her disappear through that bathroom door.
I wanted her near again. Not just physically.
I wanted her thoughts, her attention, her heartbeat matching mine.
I wanted to hear her voice, low and uncertain like it had been when she said "don't make me regret trusting you again."
I wasn't sure if it was guilt, or longing, or something deeper. All I knew was that I couldn't shake the way my body reacted around her.
Every glance she gave felt like a spark on dry wood.
Every brush of her skin sent something sharp and aching through me.
And yet… I didn't touch her the way I wanted to.
I couldn't.
There was too much at stake. Too many things unsaid between us. And Melody wasn't someone I'd ever take lightly. Not her pain, not her trust, not the way she guarded herself like the world owed her answers she never got.
And even though every part of me wanted to pull her into my arms again, I also wanted her to know that she was more than just desire to me.
She was the only person who ever made me feel like I wasn't a weapon.
The only one who looked at me and didn't flinch.
The only one who made me want to change not because she asked, but because she deserved someone who could love her right, even if he didn't know how yet.
I let my head fall back against the couch, staring at the ceiling.
Her laugh echoed in my ears. Soft. Rare. Like sunlight through clouds.
And just like that, I knew it.
No matter how far she tried to run, no matter how much I tried to bury what I felt, it wouldn't work.
She was in me now.
In the quiet. In the chaos.
In every part of me I never let anyone touch.
And the more I tried to silence it, the louder she became.