Jared was still wrestling with the seatbelt, his face only inches away from hers. Jerica felt the warmth of his breath brush against her lips, an almost forgotten sensation that sent a shiver through her. His proximity made her heart pound in a way that felt foreign, yet achingly familiar. She could see the tension in every line of his jaw, the tightness in his shoulders, as if he were fighting a battle inside himself.
For a fleeting moment, their eyes met, and the world around them seemed to freeze. The air thickened, charged with a tension that was both exhilarating and terrifying. It was like standing on the edge of a precipice, caught between wanting to leap into the unknown and the fear of what might happen if she did. In that single heartbeat, it felt as though the distance between them dissolved, leaving only raw, unspoken yearning in its place.
