She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but hisrge palm pressed it back, not forcefully, but firm enough to keep her touch right over his heart. Forrest lowered his head, breath warm and close, so close she could hear his voice low and rough in the narrow space between them, his chest pounding beneath her trembling palm.


    "Do you hear it?" His voice was hoarse, breathless. "Mimi, my heart-it feels like it''s about to break free."


    Her mind exploded in a dizzy rush, the world spinning before her eyes.


    The thundering beat beneath her hand grew even wilder, making her fingers tremble and go weak. That electric, tingling sensation shot up from her fingertips, down her arm, leaving half her body stiff and frozen.


    He leaned in, breathing even closer.


    "Mimi."


    Forrest reached up, slipped off his fogged-up sses, revealing eyes sharp and intense. Whether it was heat or something else, his throat bobbed as he spoke, a bead of sweat sliding down his neck andnding on the back of her hand, making her shiver.


    M barely noticed the predatory intensity in his gaze. Surrounded by the fresh scent of bamboo and adrenaline, she only heard his voice, muffled and distant, reaching her through a haze.


    "Mimi, is it okay?"


    His voice was so faint, she still hadn''te back to herself-when suddenly a loud crash jolted her from behind. The door mmed with a bang, snapping her out of her daze.


    Panicked, she shoved at him.


    He didn''t move at first, but as she pushed again, Forrest stepped back on his own. M didn''t dare look at him. She steadied herself against the trembling door, took a shaky breath, and turned the handle.


    Leonard was outside, face unreadable.


    M didn''t have time to process his odd behavior. Almost desperately, she slipped past him and hurried down the hall.


    She waspletely rattled.


    Behind her, the two men remained frozen. After a long moment, Forrest calmly picked up his sses and put them back on. The fierce, predatory look was gone, reced by his usual gentle warmth. He gave Leonard a faint smile as he passed, then went after M.


    "Mimi!"


    By the car, Forrest reached for her hand. She dodged away before he could touch her, and his voice fell, suddenly uncertain. "Mimi?”


    "I..." M clung to the car door, unable to meet his eyes. Her mind was a tangled mess. "I-I want to go home."


    She needed time to breathe.


    Time to think.


    "...Alright." Forrest didn''t push. His tone softened. "Text me when you get home, okay?"


    After a few seconds'' hesitation, M nodded.


    Forrest stared down at his right hand, still tingling with the memory of her touch. He lifted it to his face, breathing in the faint trace of jasmine from her skin-a scent both calming and utterly intoxicating.


    He couldn''t help but smile.


    Just now, he''d reached for M, and she''d pulled away... which, ironically, was the best sign he could hope for.


    Before, when M avoided his touch, it was just a simple aversion to physical closeness.


    But this time, she hadn''t dared look at him. She''d flinched, not from dislike, but from something sharper-something raw and electric, a new kind of sensitivity. That was exactly what he wanted.


    That was why he''d gone along with this awkward, clumsy act. He and M—as Giselle had once said-were too familiar, so familiar there was always this invisible line between them.


    Neither here nor there. Always unspoken, always uncrossed.


    But tonight, M had recognized that line, felt the jolt of crossing it. It was a step-


    a real, irreversible step forward.


    With Mimi, he wouldn''t settle for anything less.


    Thinking about it now, Giselle really was useful after all. At least, having her around made things easier. As for her advice-when it came to love, he supposed some of it was worth listening to.


    Well, some of it.


    ...


    In the back seat, M sat in stunned silence for a long time before slowly lifting her hand. Only then did she realize it was still trembling, as if she could still feel the heat of Forrest''s heartbeat pulsing beneath her palm.


    Mimi.


    My heart-it''s about to break free.


    Forrest''s words echoed in her ears, making her hand shake harder. She dropped


    it into herp, almost afraid to look at it.


    Right now, she knew-without a shadow of a doubt, with a certainty that left no room for denial—Forrest liked her. Loved her. Fiercely, desperately loved her.


    It was a love so intense it burned through flesh and bone, straight to the soul.


    She''d felt it, the scorching heartbeat beneath her hand-so hot, so fierce. It almost made her want to cry.


    Love that intense, that consuming... it was almost too much to bear. After all she''d been through, after being so deeply betrayed, to have someoney their heart bare like this it was overwhelming. Beneath the heat, she felt a crushing pressure.


    Could she really handle this kind of love?


    Could she?


    Her mind spun with confusion, chased by another, darker doubt was it really


    worth it? Was she really worth loving this much?


    He''d suffered so much because of her already.


    But, no matter what, M couldn''t deny the truth anymore. She couldn''t pretend. From this moment on, she could never see Forrest as just a friend again.


    Up front, Leonard kept a careful eye on her through the rearview mirror, not


    missing a single flicker of emotion on her face, nor the dazed, flushed look in her eyes.


    His grip on the steering wheel tightened, knuckles going white.


    Something was about to change.