CHAPTER 45: I COULDN’T HOLD BACK

Eran’s gaze drifted upward for a moment too long, as if trying to wrestle the weight of his thoughts into silence.

And then...

Miyu moved.

She stepped closer, close enough that the space between them nearly vanished, and her chest brushed lightly against his. The contact was soft, fleeting, but it struck through him sharper than any blade.

Eran’s head lowered again, his gaze snapping back down... and there she was.

Miyu’s violet eyes, glassy and intense, locked fully onto his.

She raised her hands, hesitant but deliberate, until her fingers rested on his arm. There was nothing playful in the gesture, only quiet sincerity, a warmth that seemed to radiate straight from her skin into his.

Eran felt it.

And for the first time, he saw a warmth in her eyes that wasn’t laced with pride or challenge, just something disarmingly real.

Miyu’s voice was calm, almost too calm.

"I felt it earlier," she said, her words slow and deliberate. "What you did back there in the field... tell me about it."

Eran’s gaze locked on hers, violet glass meeting his with an intensity that didn’t waver.

And for a moment, his thoughts drifted again. He knew it had been him... the death stare, the pressure in the air, the way the field seemed to bend around him, it had felt instinctive, not deliberate. But to be honest, he wasn’t sure enough what powers came along with each rank up from his system."

Before the thought could spiral further, Miyu’s voice cut through again, softer this time, closer.

"E... Eran?"

Miyu’s voice brushed softly against his thoughts, pulling him back. Her face was closer now, her glassy eyes searching him.

Eran’s lips curved faintly, a calm smile masking the calculations spinning behind his eyes.

His faint smile lingered as he looked at her, the weight of her words settling between them.

"Fine," he said quietly, the edge of amusement softening into something warmer. "You know about me, maybe not everything, but enough to be sure of what you see."

His gaze held hers, steady and unflinching. For a long moment, it was as if the air between them thickened, charged with something unspoken.

Miyu’s lips parted, her breath catching, but no sound came out. Whatever she had meant to say stayed trapped in her throat, leaving only that glassy look in her violet eyes... a mix of the desire she had been holding back and something more, something that told her she knew about Eran.

Eran leaned in closely, his hand brushed lightly against hers, a subtle gesture, one that was both an anchor and a quiet acknowledgment of what she had just confessed without words.

His faint smile curved deeper, that unreadable calm of his softening just enough to make Miyu’s chest tighten.

He lifted a hand, brushing the line of her cheek with slow, patient care.

Her breath hitched.

"Eran, I... I—"

The words trembled in her throat, broken apart by the heat rising in her face. Her pride clashed against whatever was surging up inside her, the kind of thing she was never meant to admit aloud.

But this time she didn’t turn away.

Instead, she stepped even closer, her violet eyes glistening, and took his hand in both of hers.

Her fingers were warm, almost desperate.

Slowly, almost ceremoniously, she guided his hand downward until his palm rested against her chest. Her heart thundered there, wild and unrestrained beneath his touch.

"Here..." her voice was quiet, breaking with every syllable,

"It’s racing so fast. Stop it from— from..."

She faltered, the last word swallowed by a shaky breath.

But she didn’t let go of him.

Her eyes stayed locked to his, wide and glassy, searching him, daring him, ... almost begging him.

Her grip was firm enough to hold his hand there, pressing him closer to the frantic rhythm of her heartbeat.

Her lower lip trembled just once before she caught it between her teeth, biting down to stop it.

The air between them felt charged now, heavy enough that Eran could feel it cling to his skin.

He didn’t speak right away.

Instead, he let the moment stretch, let her feel the weight of his gaze on her as she stood there with flushed cheeks and trembling pride.

And then, very slowly, his thumb brushed against her collarbone, tracing the faint heat of her skin, not quite soothing her racing heart, but not pulling away either.

Eran’s faint smile lingered, slow and knowing, as his thumb traced along her collarbone.

"Oh..." his voice dropped, warm and steady,

"just like yesterday."

Miyu’s lashes fluttered.

"Y–yesterday?"

He leaned in a little, his breath brushing her ear, teasing but gentle.

"When your heart raced just like this... when your whole face was just as hot."

Her flush deepened, spreading to the tips of her ears.

"I helped you calm it down then too, didn’t I?" he asked, his tone smooth, almost coaxing, though he was reminding her of a secret only they shared.

Her breath came quick now, chest rising and falling against his palm where she still held him pressed against her heartbeat.

Eran tilted his head, catching her gaze again, holding it until she couldn’t look away.

"Does it feel good?"

The words were quiet, but they struck her deeper than anything he could’ve said louder.

Her lips parted, no answer at first, just a breath, shaky and sharp, like she wasn’t sure she should reply.

But she didn’t move his hand.

If anything, her grip tightened, keeping him there as though letting go might break something she couldn’t name.

And for or a long, warm stare, Miyu’s lips finally parted... her voice low, almost caught in her throat.

"I... wasn’t sure how it stopped. How it got calm... from racing so fast like this."

Her fingers pressed his hand more firmly against her chest as if to prove her words.

"But you..." she swallowed hard, her cheeks burning deeper,

"you made it stop. Somehow. And it feels... warm."

Eran’s gaze deepened, drinking in every word.

Her breath hitched, but she didn’t stop.

"You left me in heat yesterday," she admitted, her voice just above a whisper now,

"I couldn’t think of how quiet to hold back. I tried..."

Her eyes locked with his, glassy, and intense.

"...but I couldn’t."

The room seemed to tighten around them, air heavier, her confession hanging between them like something forbidden yet too honest to take back.

Eran’s faint smile curved again, slower this time, his thumb brushing along her cheek as if to steady her.