Stefan set aside the weird feelings and warm sensations coursing through his heart and decided to focus on the task he had been assigned instead.
Ever since he lost his cousin and all his friends, thereby joining the Outers as a result of it, he never really had much of an opportunity to interact with someone his age. He'd had to force himself to grow up, becoming more like the grown-ups around him, so he could adequately contribute to his team.
The Outgroup were his family, and he loved all of them as one would cherish older siblings or parent figures. However, something has always seemed to be missing amid all of that.
But everything changed when Ana joined their team.
'These past few months… I really enjoyed myself.'
It had been so long since he'd felt something like this for anyone. However, he couldn't assume that Ana felt the same. He didn't want to burden her with how he felt, especially when things had reached this critical stage.
