velinoramyra
Steam fogs the shower glass.
Bella rests against the tiled wall, letting the warm water spill over her as her breaths come uneven and fast.
Zavyen steps inside, fully clothed, shutting the door with a quiet thud.
"Stop running, Bella," he says, voice low and rough around the edges.
She looks up at him, eyes tired yet burning.
"This is me trying to breathe," she murmurs.
He comes closer, water soaking through his shirt, one hand bracing the wall beside her head. She can feel the heat of him even through the steam.
"Bella... what do you need?" he asks gently.
"You," she whispers.
Her fingers clutch his wet shirt and she pulls him down.
Zavyen lets himself be drawn in, his hand finding her waist, steadying her.
He pauses for a heartbeat, studying her face-her trembling breaths, the exhaustion swimming beneath the want.
Then he kisses her.
Soft, deep, slow-like he's trying to anchor her.
She melts into him, gripping him tighter, the kiss growing heavier, needier.
But suddenly Zavyen breaks away.
His forehead stays against hers, both of them breathing hard. Water rushes around them, but his voice is steady.
"Bella," he whispers, thumb brushing her cheek, "you're exhausted."
She shakes her head, reaching for him again.
"I'm fine."
He gently catches her wrists, lowering them.
"No. You need to rest."
_______________________________
At Averlyn Institute, Bella Bennett is hidden from the world-diagnosed, confined, and silenced to protect her father's reputation. Everyone sees her as a lost cause except Dr. Zavyen Nozen, the new psychiatrist whose calm defies her fury.
He listens when no one else will. She challenges every wall he's built. Their sessions become a charged dance between restraint and longing, truth and illusion.
But as Bella's feelings start to take a new turn what will happen when their world will collide with eachother?