“What’s that look for?” Juniper asked, catching his expression. Her EKG spiked into something unreadable, as she noticed his hand had drifted closer to hers on the couch. The plush fabric seemed to draw them together like some kind of wicking capillary action.

He just watched her with that knowing smirk, his eyes carrying heat that made her throat tight. The silence stretched between them until she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Seriously, what are you thinking? What do you want to tell me?” The words tumbled out before she could stop them…

“I’ll tell you when the time is right,” he smiled, amusement coloring his tone even as something deeper flickered in his eyes. His thumb traced absent patterns on the couch between them, each movement drawing her attention like a physicist discovering a new fundamental force.

“Oh, is that what you’ve been doing all this time?” She tucked one leg beneath her, the position bringing her incrementally closer as she challenged him with raised eyebrows.

“What?” His innocent expression didn’t quite mask the way his body shifted toward her, like a satellite adjusting its orbit.

“Waiting for the right time.” The words fell between them like autumn leaves, soft yet weighted. In the moment Juniper couldn’t help but reminisce on his previous particular placements – how he’d steadied her in the elevator, protected her in court, able to feel his presence on her.