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The sun had long dipped below the skyline, leaving the city bathed in shades of gold and purple. Inside Torres Brew, the shop smelled like roasted coffee and vanilla—familiar, comforting, and painfully ordinary. Yet tonight, it all felt different.
Kiara wiped the counter mechanically, her mind swirling with Shane's offer. University. A future beyond the shop. A life she hadn't allowed herself to dream in years.
And Shane Benson—the calm, steady man who had somehow wormed his way into her routine—was offering it to her. Not for profit. Not for recognition. Simply because he believed in her.
She wanted to resist. To hold onto the only thing that felt truly hers: control. Pride. Independence.
But the truth simmered uncomfortably beneath the surface: part of her wanted it. Wanted him.
The bell above the door jingled, breaking her thoughts.
A familiar figure stood there—Shane.
"Late night?" she asked, straightening her back.
"I thought I'd check in," he said, stepping in with that effortless confidence that both annoyed and intrigued her. "Still thinking about my offer?"
Kiara hesitated. "Yes. But… I'm not sure I can accept it. It feels too much, too fast."
Shane leaned against the counter, close enough that she could feel the warmth radiating from him. "You won't owe me anything, Kiara. I don't want control, I want choice."
Her pulse quickened, but before she could respond, the door opened again.
A young woman entered, dressed sharply, laughing loudly into her phone. Shane's eyes flicked toward her for a fraction of a second before returning to Kiara. But that brief glance—small as it was—hit her chest like a hammer.
Jealousy. She hated that she felt it.
The woman waved goodbye to someone outside and left, but the moment lingered. Shane noticed her tension.
"You're thinking too much," he said gently. "You always do."
Kiara bristled, both defensive and flustered. "I have to think. About my future. About this… about you."
He smiled, patient and unshakable. "I'm not going anywhere."
The words should have comforted her. But instead, they sent a flutter of nerves through her. She wasn't ready to trust them—or him.
Closing time came, and she watched him leave. Alone, standing in the dim streetlight, she realized the day had shifted. She had spent hours thinking of possibilities, of choices, of futures she didn't dare dream.
And somewhere, between the pride she clung to and the life Shane offered, the first ripple of something dangerous and thrilling began: the beginning of care.
Something that could turn into… more.
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