Alina’s Pov

“Thank you,” I said faintly. I drag my knee deeper into my chest.

He glanced at me. “For what?”

“For showing up when you did,” I admitted, though it's still strange that he appeared right on time. Is that a coincidence or… Stop it, Alina, you overthink too much.

He gave me a small, almost guilty smile. “I couldn’t sleep. I kept worrying about you, the last incident really scared me.” He paused, swallowed, and then continued. "I just followed my instinct to ...