The door of Alexander's apartment opened with a soft click, and Ava stepped inside, her heartbeat erratic. He was waiting for her in the dimly lit foyer, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, his usual tailored suits replaced with something casual yet equally commanding.
"Welcome," he greeted, his voice warm, but there was an undercurrent of something more in it. His eyes, those piercing gray eyes, locked onto hers, and for a moment, she couldn't look away.
"You're sure this is alright?" she asked, unsure why she had agreed to come.
"It's more than alright," Alexander said with a smile that made her feel both safe and dangerously vulnerable. "Come, let me show you the view."
He led her to the balcony, where the city spread out beneath them in a sea of lights. The air was crisp, the evening silent except for the distant hum of the streets below.
As she stepped closer to the railing, she felt his presence behind her. His hand brushed against hers as he pointed to the skyline. "This is what I meant. It's beautiful, isn't it?"
Ava nodded, though the beauty of the view felt like an afterthought compared to the weight of Alexander's gaze on her. "It's... breathtaking."
He stepped closer, his hand now resting lightly on the railing beside hers. "I thought you might appreciate it. I've spent countless nights here, wondering if anyone would ever truly understand me. But with you, it's different. I feel like you see me. Really see me."
Ava's chest tightened. She wanted to push him away, tell him that she couldn't be a part of his world, that this was all too much. But something in his words, the sincerity in his voice, made her hesitate.
"Do you?" he asked softly, his voice filled with a vulnerability she hadn't expected.
She swallowed, looking down at her feet. "I don't know what I see," she admitted. "But I... I don't know what to make of you, Alexander."
His hand moved, gently brushing against the side of her face, his touch light but insistent. "What if you didn't have to make sense of it? What if you just let yourself feel?"
Ava shivered at his touch, the warmth of his hand sending a ripple through her. She knew she should pull away, but instead, she found herself leaning into his touch, drawn to him in a way she couldn't explain.