Cassie was caught right there, suspended in the moment like the world had tilted and forgotten to settle back into place. Her thoughts scattered, breath shallow, heart thudding too loudly in her ears.
"Is this… is this real?" she whispered, almost afraid the words alone might shatter whatever fragile magic was wrapping around her.
Franklin frowned slightly, confusion deepening in his eyes. "What?"
She didn't look at his face right away. Instead, her gaze drifted downward to his hands. One of them was still cradling her foot, his thumb moving in slow, deliberate circles over the spot that had been aching earlier.
The pain was gone now, replaced by a warmth that seeped deep into her muscles, into her bones. It felt intimate in a way she hadn't been prepared for.
"You're…" He
