When Jasmine told Kael to meet her that evening, she did not mean it, guilt twisting in her stomach like a knot she couldn't untie, heavy and relentless.
'Kael, I'm sorry, but I'm with the pups. I'm helping Espe and Bryan with painting.'
Kael was disappointed, the weight of it settling in his chest like a stone that made every breath ache.
He didn't want all he had planned to go to waste, the candles, the flowers, the words he had rehearsed a hundred times in his head, each one carrying the hope he barely dared to feel. So he informed her, his voice carrying through the mindlink with quiet determination that refused to let the moment slip away.
'It's alright. I'm coming over.'
'To Aunt Madi's suite?' Jasmine asked through the mindlink, indirectly avoiding him, creating distance with her words that still carried a tremor of uncertainty.
