For one long second, neither of us moved.
Then Dominic straightened abruptly.
Too fast.
Like being seen like this was the last thing he wanted.
His hand dropped from his chest immediately while his shoulders pulled tighter, his expression shifting back into something controlled. Something composed.
But it didn’t settle properly.
Not fully.
I could still see the strain around his mouth.
The uneven rise of his chest.
“I’m fine,” he said.
His voice came out rough.
The lie sat between us instantly.
My eyes dropped briefly to his hand still gripping the edge of the car door.
His fingers shook once before tightening harder around the metal.
I looked away first.
“I came for my bag.”
Even to my own ears, my voice sounded distant.
Dominic blinked slowly like the words took a second
