<b>Chapter </b><b>401 </b>
Aria could clearly feel how rushed Owen was with thosest few wraps of gauze. She didn’t think much of it, quickly buttoned her shirt<b>, </b><b>and </b>said<b>, </b><b>“</b><b>I’ll </b>head back now.”
Owen, still kneeling on one knee, kept his head down as he packed i
I up the med kit. He didn’t look at her. “Okay. Goodnight.”
Ariaughed in only sever
only seven–thirty.”
He kept his head down and said nothing, so Aria shifted off the couch a bit and said, “I’ll get going, then.”
“Alright.”
There wasn’t any more room in the medicine box, so Owen closed it up. Hearing nothing behind him, his ears perked up.
Finding it odd, she copied his pose–half–crouching beside the coffee table, propping her chin on her hand as she watched him.
Owen had no idea she was this close.
When she stayed silent, he found it strange, finally turning his head.
Their noses brushed, so softly it was almost nothing, a feather–light touch that startled them both.
He froze, startled, and jerked back, meeting her gaze
head–on.
They were so close, Owen could see himself reflected in her
r eyes.
She looked just as surprised, still wearing that dazed look, as if she hadn’t expected him to turn so suddenly.
He’d just bumped her nose… If he’d leaned in a bit more…
Owen’s eyes dropped, lingering for a fraction of a second on her slightly parted lips.
‘Where is he looking?‘
Aria slowly came back to herself, her lips closing
gas she subconsciously pressed them together.
Themp cast a warm glow over them, the whole room hush and mellow.
The faint smell of antiseptic, the clean scent of hisundry detergent… it all felt strangely intimate.
Aria was the first <i>to </i>snap out of <b>it</b><b>, </b>but she didn’t speak. She just quietly studied Owen, her gaze drifting over his brows, his nose, his mouth, his jaw…
Vanessa always said Owen carried a kind of otherworldly calm, as if nothing could tempt him, making it impossible to even entertain the idea of crossing a line.
At first, when they worked together<b>, </b>Aria hadn’t noticed–she’d just thought he was principled and trustworthy.
But somewhere along the way, they’d grown closer
And eventually, she realized he liked her.
Her nose began to itch–she scrunched it, but couldn’t fight <b>the </b>urge, and finally sneezed.
Owen snapped out of his trance<b>, </b>too.
<b>He </b>quickly turned away and tried to stand<b>, </b>but his left leg had fallen asleep from kneeling <b>so </b>long.
<b>He </b><b>stumbled</b><b>, </b>nearly sitting back down, and in the confusion<b>, </b>his handnded on something soft–<b>Aria’s </b>hand.
The more flustered you are, the more mistakes you make.
“Sorry<b>,</b>” Owen apologized quickly, pulling his hand away, but Aria caught it, saying, “Let me help you up.”
He realized she was offering her right hand–the uninjured
P
one–so he epted her support and got to his feet.
He tried to sit down, but Aria didn’t let go. Instead, she led him forward. “When your leg’s numb, you need to stand and walk it off. <b>That’ll </b>make <b>it </b>pass <b>faster</b>.”
<b>If </b>he hadn’t knelt so long to help her with the stitches, this wouldn’t have happened–she felt it was only fair to help.
Their hands, one warm and one cool, intertwined.
Owen stiffly shuffled forward, walking like a toddler taking his first steps, even though only one foot was numb.
He found himself entirely focused on her hand. It was so much smaller than his.
He tried to loosen his grip, but Aria held on tight.
She noticed something was off with his walk and asked, “Are both your feet numb?”
Pulled back to reality, Owen forced himself to y it off, “A little. It’s almost fine.”
A few more steps and the tingling faded.