Kendrick stood there for a moment, his pulse still erratic as if he hadn't fully come down from whatever just happened.
But the way Zephany avoided his eyes, how the distance between them now felt measured and careful, left a hollow ache in his chest.
He hated this. This growing silence. This invisible wall they both kept trying not to acknowledge.
Trying to ease the tension, he managed a small smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I think we better go home now."
Zephany nodded almost too quickly. "Yeah… we should," she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Without another word, they turned and walked side by side out of the restaurant. There was no brush of hands, no accidental glance. Just quiet, echoing footsteps across polished floors.
Kendrick reached into his pocket for the keys, glancing at her once, but she was looking ahead—arms loosely at her sides, her pace steady but unreadable.
