The days after the cruise felt like a strange kind of peace neither of them trusted at first.
Xavier and Amelia moved through New York like they had quietly agreed to pretend the world outside did not exist.
No courtrooms. No mafia headlines. No cold evidence buried in archives.
Just them.
It was ridiculous in the most beautiful way.
Xavier showed up at her apartment every morning before work without asking.
"Stop doing this," Amelia said one morning as she stepped out in heels and a work blouse, coffee in hand.
Xavier leaned against the hallway wall, checking his watch like he owned time itself.
"I am not doing anything."
"You are literally escorting me like I am royalty."
"You are dramatic. I am preventing inconvenience."
Amelia rolled her eyes. "That is the same thing."
He opened the car door for her anyway.
Every time.
And somehow, she stopped arguing about it.
Dinner became something they somehow always ended up sharing.
Even when they claimed they would not.
Even when Amelia said she was too tired.
Xavier would still show up at her door with food like he knew she would eventually open it.
And she always did.
One night she caught herself laughing at something he said, and the sound startled her more than him.
Xavier looked at her like he was memorizing it.
"You laugh more now," he said quietly.
Amelia paused. "Is that bad?"
"It is dangerous," he replied.
She frowned. "How?"
"Because I might start thinking I deserve it."
That stopped her completely.
She did not know what to say to that, so she changed the subject like she always did when feelings became too loud.
But something in her chest kept shifting every time he looked at her like that.
Like she was not temporary.
Like she was not something he was waiting to lose.
A week passed like that.
Too soft.
Too peaceful.
Too deceptive.
And Xavier, being Xavier, never stopped asking the same question every single day.
"So what did you want to tell me when we got back?"
Amelia would sigh every time.
"I will tell you when I am ready."
"You said that a week ago."
"And I still mean it."
"You are testing my patience."
"You do not have patience."
"I am practicing because of you."
Amelia would laugh and walk away, leaving him staring after her like he already knew she was hiding something important.
She was.
But she was afraid.
Not of him.
Of what it would mean to say it out loud.
Because once she said it, there would be no pretending anymore.
No blaming.
No distance.
No excuse.
Just truth.
And truth made everything real.
That evening, the sky over New York was heavy with gray clouds, the kind that promised rain without asking permission first.
Amelia stepped out of the office later than usual, exhausted from meetings that blurred together.
Xavier was already outside waiting like always.
Leaning on the car.
Hands in his pockets.
Watching the building like he was not waiting for her specifically, even though he absolutely was.
"You are late," he said when she approached.
"I work, Xavier."
"I know. It still irritates me."
"That is a you problem."
He opened the car door.
She got in.
Normal.
Routine.
Safe.
Or so she thought.
The drive started like every other day.
City lights passing.
Soft silence between them.
Xavier's hand resting loosely on the steering wheel.
Then something shifted.
It was subtle at first.
Too subtle to name.
The street outside her window felt too empty.
Too quiet.
Amelia frowned slightly. "Did you change route?"
Xavier did not answer immediately.
That was enough.
Her body went still.
"Xavier."
Then the front window shattered.
Everything happened at once.
Glass exploded inward like a gunshot had kissed the windshield.
Xavier yanked the steering wheel hard, swerving the car as a second impact struck the side mirror.
Amelia screamed.
"Stay down," Xavier snapped immediately.
The car veered sharply into an empty side street and came to a sudden stop.
And then silence.
For half a second.
Before the door behind them opened.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
No mask.
No hesitation.
Just calm death walking slowly toward them.
Amelia's breath caught.
"That is him," she whispered.
Xavier did not look surprised.
That was the worst part.
He stepped out of the car calmly.
Too calmly.
Like this was just another problem to solve.
The assassin tilted his head slightly.
"You are not the target," he said to Xavier.
Xavier's expression did not change.
"That is unfortunate for you."
The assassin smiled faintly.
Then he moved.
Fast.
Too fast for most people to even register.
Amelia barely saw the first strike.
But Xavier was already gone from where he stood.
The punch that followed came like a hammer.
Xavier hit him first.
Clean.
Precise.
The assassin stumbled back but recovered instantly, pulling a blade from his sleeve.
Amelia's heart slammed violently.
"Xavier!"
He did not turn.
"Stay in the car."
The assassin lunged again.
This time Xavier blocked with his forearm, twisting the man's wrist sharply until a sickening crack echoed through the street.
The blade dropped.
Xavier caught it mid fall.
Amelia froze.
He caught it.
Mid fall.
Like it was nothing.
The assassin tried to kick him back, but Xavier grabbed his leg and threw him against the wall with brutal force.
The sound was heavy.
Final.
The man recovered again, blood now at the corner of his mouth, eyes sharper with anger.
He charged.
Xavier met him halfway.
This time there was no hesitation.
No space.
Just controlled violence.
Xavier disarmed him in seconds, twisting him down, pressing him against the ground with one knee pinned firmly on his back.
The assassin struggled.
Xavier leaned down slightly, voice low.
"You came into the wrong house before."
A pause.
"And now you came into the wrong car."
The police sirens finally echoed in the distance.
Xavier did not move until he was sure the man could not escape.
Only then did he stand.
Amelia stepped out of the car shakily.
Her hands were trembling.
"Are you okay?" she asked immediately.
Xavier looked at her like she was the priority.
Always.
"Yes."
She rushed toward him without thinking and grabbed his shirt.
"You could have died."
He looked down at her hands on him.
Then at her face.
"I did not."
"You do not understand," she whispered.
But she did not finish the sentence.
Because suddenly everything in her chest felt too full.
Too heavy.
Too real.
The police arrived and took the assassin away while Xavier stayed close to Amelia the entire time, one hand lightly behind her back like he was making sure she did not disappear.
When everything finally settled, they stood alone on the sidewalk.
The night air felt colder now.
Xavier exhaled slowly.
"This is not ending," he said quietly.
Amelia swallowed.
"I know."
His eyes met hers.
"You should come stay with me."
She hesitated.
Then remembered.
The first attack had been at his house.
She shook her head slightly. "No. Not there."
Xavier paused.
Then nodded once.
"Then I will stay with you."
Amelia looked at him.
"You are impossible."
"And you are still alive," he replied.
That silenced her completely.
They drove back together.
No music.
No teasing.
Just awareness of how close everything had come to ending too quickly.
Too suddenly.
Too violently.
Back at her apartment, Xavier checked every room before letting her in properly.
Amelia watched him move through her space like a shadow that refused to leave her alone for safety reasons only.
When he finished, he turned to her.
"It is clear."
She nodded slowly.
Then she finally spoke.
"I remember what I wanted to tell you."
Xavier stopped immediately.
Like everything else in the world had paused for that sentence.
Amelia stood in front of him.
Heart beating too loudly.
Hands slightly clenched.
"You have been asking me for a week," she said softly.
"Yes."
Silence.
Then she stepped closer.
"I love you."
The words did not come out loud.
They came out steady.
Certain.
Like she had finally stopped running from them.
Xavier stared at her.
For once, no sarcasm.
No defense.
Just shock.
Amelia continued before she lost courage.
"I did not plan it. I did not want it. I fought it every single day and still somehow you kept showing up in every space I tried to keep empty."
Her voice shook slightly now.
"You annoy me. You confuse me. You make me feel things I do not know how to handle."
A breath.
"But I love you."
Xavier's jaw tightened slightly like he was holding himself together.
Amelia whispered, softer now.
"I think I have loved you for longer than I wanted to admit."
Silence.
Heavy.
Almost unbearable.
Then Xavier stepped forward and pulled her into his arms.
Firm.
Protective.
Like he had been waiting for permission to do that for years.
His voice came out low against her hair.
"You are going to be the death of me."
Amelia laughed weakly against his chest.
"That is not a romantic response."
"It is the most honest one I have."
He pulled back slightly so he could look at her.
His hand cupped her face gently.
"And for the record," he added quietly, "I have been in love with you longer than you think."
That broke her completely.
Amelia blinked fast.
"Xavier."
He leaned his forehead against hers.
"You should have told me sooner."
"I was busy surviving you."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"Now you are stuck with me."
Amelia nodded softly.
"I do not think I mind."
Outside, New York kept moving like nothing had changed.
But inside that small apartment, something irreversible had finally begun.