Emilio’s POV
Of all the things he could’ve said, that wasn’t the one I was prepared for. My mind spun, tripping over a dozen reasons to say no. It was late. I was tired. I needed to calm down. I needed space. Letting him in would only make things worse.
But I’d never been good at making smart choices.
And something about the way he asked — casual, like it was no big deal — made my chest twist.
I swallowed and nodded. “Yeah… sure. You can come in.”
He swung off the bike with that same easy confidence he always carried, then fell into step behind me. Each footstep he made felt too loud, too close, like he was walking right beside the thoughts I was trying so hard to push away.
We moved through the quiet hallway, the lights flickering a little, the air smelling faintly of old paint and
