The next few days passed in a haze of new beginnings. Logan wasn't sure what had shifted between them, but there was something lighter about the air whenever Emilia was around. She wasn't just the designer who had walked into his life with demands; she had become something more.
Emilia was in the workshop every day now, not just to check on the corset, but to be near him. They talked about everything and nothing—about her past, about the work they were doing, about what they wanted out of life. It wasn't the kind of easy conversation he'd imagined, but it felt right.
Logan found himself opening up in ways he never had before. He spoke about the things that haunted him—the loss, the isolation he'd felt growing up. He talked about his father, a man who had never understood his passion for metalworking, a man who had never been able to see past the walls Logan had built around himself.
Emilia listened quietly, her gaze never wavering. She didn't judge him, didn't try to fix him. She just saw him—raw and unguarded—and that was all he needed.
It was in those quiet moments of vulnerability that Logan realized something: he was falling for her.
It wasn't just the chemistry. It wasn't just the way she made him feel when she touched him, when she kissed him. It was more than that. He had never met someone who made him feel so alive, so understood.
But he still didn't know how to navigate this new territory. The walls he had spent years building were coming down, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for the aftermath.
One evening, as they stood side by side in the workshop, putting the final touches on a new piece of armor, Logan couldn't hold it in anymore.
"I'm scared," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper.
Emilia paused, her eyes searching his face. "Scared of what?"
"Of losing myself in this… in you," he said, gesturing between them. "I've spent so long being alone, being focused on the work. I don't know how to let someone in."
Emilia placed a hand on his arm, her touch gentle but firm. "You're not going to lose yourself, Logan. You're just learning to be more than what you've been. It's okay to let someone in."
Her words wrapped around him like a warm blanket, soothing the anxiety that had been gnawing at him.
"I don't know how to do this," he admitted, his voice thick with emotion. "But I want to try."
Emilia smiled, her eyes soft with affection. "That's all we can do, Logan. Try."
For the first time in a long while, Logan felt the weight of his past begin to lift. He wasn't just working for the sake of work anymore. He wasn't just hiding behind his creations. He was learning to live in the moment, to trust in something beyond the metal.
And with Emilia, he found a new kind of strength.
They spent the rest of the evening working in silence, the only sounds the rhythmic clink of their tools and the soft hum of the forge. But there was a peace between them now—an unspoken understanding.
When the sun finally set, painting the sky with shades of pink and orange, Logan and Emilia stood together, looking out at the horizon.
"Where do we go from here?" Logan asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Emilia turned to him, her smile serene. "Wherever we want to."
And for the first time, Logan felt the weight of the world lift off his shoulders. The future no longer seemed like a looming threat—it felt like an open road, full of possibility.
With Emilia by his side, he was ready to face whatever came next.