After completing the discharge procedures, Ethan accompanied Emma and Shirley back to their apartment. As they arrived, Ethan glanced at his watch, realizing how long it had been since they last spent time together. On a whim, he turned to Emma and said, "It's been a while since we caught up. How about we have dinner together tonight? And, Shirley," he added, turning to her with a warm smile, "you've been such a great support for Emma. I'd love for you to join us as well."
Shirley looked surprised but pleased by the invitation. "I'd love to, thank you."
Emma smiled, feeling a sense of normalcy returning. "That sounds wonderful, Ethan."
Later that evening, Ethan sent a car to pick up Emma and Shirley, ensuring they would arrive in style at one of the city's finest five-star restaurants. As they walked into the elegant dining room, the ambiance was filled with soft music, and the atmosphere was intimate, perfect for a long-awaited reunion.
During dinner, the three of them chatted and laughed, the conversation flowing easily as they caught up on each other's lives. The warmth of their friendship seemed to melt away the months of tension and uncertainty that had weighed on them.
At one point, Emma, with a teasing smile, turned to Ethan. "So, Ethan, what about you? What have you been up to lately? Any chance you've found someone special?"
Ethan's expression shifted to one of amusement, mixed with a hint of exasperation. He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "No, no one special," he replied, though his tone was light, there was an underlying seriousness in his words. "In our line of work, relationships can be... complicated. The risks are too high, and I wouldn't want to put someone through that. Besides," he added with a shrug, "I've been too busy managing things to even think about it."
Emma tilted her head, a thoughtful look in her eyes. "I suppose that makes sense. But you deserve happiness too, Ethan. Maybe one day, when things settle down…"
Ethan's smile was warm, but his eyes carried a weight that only those who lived in his world could understand. "Maybe one day," he echoed, though deep down, he doubted it. For someone like him, peace and happiness were luxuries he couldn't afford—not while there were still people he needed to protect.
As Emma playfully asked Ethan if he had been seeing anyone lately, Ethan's mind immediately flickered to a memory—a flash of a mysterious woman with dark, captivating eyes. The one known only as Black Phoenix. For a brief moment, a shadow of a smile played on his lips, a rare softness in his otherwise guarded expression.
But just as quickly, he masked it, shrugging off the thought. Emma didn't notice, but the answer didn't come as easily as it might have seemed.
Hidden in the shadows, always watching over Ethan from a distance, Black Phoenix overheard the conversation. The slightest flutter of emotion stirred in her chest. She had been listening carefully, her senses always attuned to his every word, every move. When she heard Ethan's reply, her heart skipped a beat.
He hasn't been seeing anyone.
It shouldn't have mattered. She was his operative, his most trusted shadow. Her duty was to protect, to follow orders, not to yearn for something more. Yet, despite the danger and the walls Ethan had built around himself, she couldn't help the feelings that had slowly grown over time. Feelings she knew she had to keep buried, for both their sakes.
Ethan had always been a master of compartmentalizing his emotions, especially when it came to matters of the heart. Love was something that complicated things, made them messy, vulnerable. He couldn't afford that—not in the world he navigated, where any sign of weakness could be exploited by enemies.
And yet, the image of Black Phoenix lingered in his mind, a constant presence that he couldn't quite shake. He knew she was there, somewhere close, watching as always. The thought of her brought a warmth that he wasn't entirely comfortable with, but he had learned to push it aside, focusing instead on the mission, on the safety of those he cared about.
But as much as he tried to suppress it, the truth was, Ethan did feel something for her. He just didn't know how to handle it. He feared that acknowledging it might change the dynamic between them, might lead to something that he wasn't sure he could control. And if he let himself care too much, it could lead to pain—for both of them.
For Black Phoenix, the situation was equally complicated. She had always admired Ethan from afar, his strength, his resolve, the way he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. Over time, that admiration had turned into something deeper, something that scared her as much as it thrilled her. But she knew better than to confess. The risk of rejection or, worse, the possibility that Ethan might distance himself from her out of fear of complicating their professional relationship, was too great.
So, she kept her feelings hidden, just as he did. Each of them afraid to take that step, afraid of what might be lost in the process. And so, they danced around the unspoken truth, both aware of it but neither willing to break the silence.
As the night wore on and the conversation at dinner drifted to other topics, Ethan pushed thoughts of Black Phoenix to the back of his mind, focusing instead on Emma and Shirley. But somewhere in the shadows, she continued to watch, her presence as steady and constant as ever.
And while neither of them would admit it, not yet, there was an unspoken connection between them—one that, for now, remained just beneath the surface, waiting for the right moment, or perhaps the right person, to bring it into the light.