The day Emilia took the finished corset was the day everything between them shifted.
Logan worked through the hours, his hands mechanical, but his mind was elsewhere. He couldn't help but replay the moments with her—their kiss, the rawness of it, the heat that lingered long after she had walked out of his workshop. Her words echoed in his mind, each one a reminder of the tension that had been building between them from the start.
He had no answers. Only questions.
He couldn't lie to himself anymore. He wanted her—more than he'd ever wanted anything. But the fear of losing control, of losing himself in her, made him hesitate. He wasn't sure if he could handle it.
The sound of the workshop door creaked open, and Logan didn't need to look up to know who it was.
Emilia.
She stood there in the doorway, her eyes scanning the room. She looked different today—more collected, more guarded.
"Logan," she said softly, almost as if testing the air between them.
He didn't answer immediately. He just stood there, his hands still at the workbench, his heart pounding in his chest.
"You've been avoiding me," she said, her voice steady, but there was a subtle edge to it.
He let out a slow breath, shaking his head. "I haven't been avoiding you."
Her gaze sharpened. "Then why haven't you called? Why haven't you answered my messages?"
Logan looked up then, meeting her eyes. He could see the hurt in them, the disappointment. She had every right to be frustrated with him.
"I've been…" He didn't know how to explain. How could he put it into words? How could he explain the whirlwind of emotions that had been tearing through him?
"Don't," she said, cutting him off. "You don't need to explain. I get it."
Logan's heart clenched. "No, Emilia. You don't. I don't know what's happening between us, and it's freaking me out."
She stepped closer, the distance between them closing with each breath. "I'm not asking for answers, Logan. I'm just asking for you to show up."
The vulnerability in her voice made his chest ache. She wasn't just asking for him to be present in the physical sense. She was asking for him to be there, to open up in a way that scared him.
"I don't know how to do that," he admitted, his voice rough. "I've never been good at it. At letting someone in. At being…" He trailed off, not sure how to finish the sentence.
"At being vulnerable?" she suggested, her eyes softening.
Logan nodded, the truth of it settling heavy in his chest. "I've spent so long building walls, I don't know how to tear them down."
She took another step closer, her hand reaching out to gently touch his arm. "You don't have to tear them all down at once, Logan. Just let me in. A little at a time. I'm not asking for everything."
He closed his eyes for a moment, the weight of her words sinking in. It was a challenge, but it was a challenge he wanted to accept.
"I don't want to lose myself in this," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Emilia's hand slid up his arm, her touch gentle. "You won't. You're not losing yourself, Logan. You're just letting someone see you. For who you really are."
He opened his eyes, meeting her gaze again. The raw honesty in her eyes made him feel exposed, but in a way that was oddly freeing. He was so used to hiding behind his work, behind the walls he had built to protect himself. But with her, he felt like maybe—just maybe—it was okay to let some of those walls down.
"I don't know if I'm ready," he said, his voice tight with emotion.
Emilia smiled softly, her fingers brushing against his skin. "Then don't be ready. Just be with me. Right now."
The words were like a permission slip, and for the first time in a long while, Logan didn't fight them.
He closed the distance between them, cupping her face in his hands. Her breath hitched as he kissed her, slow and deliberate, like he was savoring the moment. It wasn't just passion this time. It was something deeper—something fragile and real.
When they pulled apart, Emilia's eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted. "You don't have to be perfect, Logan. You don't have to have all the answers. Just… be here. With me."
He nodded, his hand brushing through her hair. "I'm here," he said quietly, feeling the weight of his words settle in his chest. "And I'm not going anywhere."
Emilia smiled, the first genuine smile he'd seen from her in days. "Good. Because I don't want you to."
They stood there, the world outside the workshop fading into the background. For the first time in a long while, Logan felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be With her.