Chapter 8

It felt like our relationship was a paradox. We were close, but we kept each other at arm’s length. We trusted each other on the job, moving as if we had been doing this for years, yet neither of us let the other fully in. The longer we worked together, the harder it was to ignore the pull. We’d meet after hours sometimes, linger a little longer at work just to talk. That’s how it always went, unspoken but understood. But today, I was tired of leaving things unsaid.

We were finishing up a shift, sitting on the rooftop again like it had become our spot. Ryen kept her distance for a reason, and I respected that, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something more.

Ryen leaned back against the railing, her gaze drifting across the skyline.
“Quiet tonight,” she said, her voice soft but steady.

“Yeah,” I replied, not really focusing on her words but on the comfortable silence we’d settled into. I watched her, the way the evening light softened her features. For weeks, we’d been like this—close but never closer.

“Let’s hang out tomorrow,” I said suddenly, the words leaving my mouth before I had the chance to overthink it.

Ryen turned, her eyes narrowing with curiosity. “Hang out?”

“Yeah,” I nodded, trying to sound casual. “But, not here. Let’s go somewhere different. Somewhere fancy. A restaurant?”

She raised an eyebrow, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “A restaurant? You don’t seem like the restaurant type.”

I smirked, leaning back against the wall, my heart pounding though I kept my voice steady. “I’m full of surprises, panther.”

She laughed lightly, and for a moment, the tension between us seemed to dissolve. “Alright, Rico,” she said, her smile warm. “A restaurant it is. But I’m picking the place.”

“Deal.”