Mia and Claus had been talking for hours, maps spread, notes scribbled, and strategy flowing between them like an old rhythm. Yet beneath the sharp exchange of plans, something softer pulsed.

Every time Claus spoke, steady and sure, Mia found her heart stumbling. His focus, his quiet command…it was impossible not to feel something.

She caught herself watching him again, the way his jaw tightened when he thought, the faint scar near his temple she’d once kissed.

“You know,” she said ...