Rafael didn't remember the drive.
One moment, he was standing in the ruins of betrayal… the next, he was already outside her gate.
Aria...The only place his chaos ever quieted.
His knuckles hit the gate harder than he intended, urgency pulsing through him. Before the guard could even react, he pushed through, his steps fast, almost restless.
And then the door opened.
Aria stood there, her hair loosely falling over her shoulders, her eyes still soft with sleep and confusion. She hadn't expected him. Not like this. Not at this hour.
"Raf—"
She didn't get to finish.He pulled her toward him and kissed her.
Not gently or slowly but like a man who had been holding himself together for too long and had finally found the one place he could fall apart.
Aria froze for a split second, shock flickering through her… but it melted almost instantly. Her fingers curled into his shirt as she responded, trying to keep up with the intensity of him, the desperation in the way he held her.
