Chapter 10 POV Makidi

I don't know when it started-this thing I couldn't quite put a name to. Maybe it was after Julianna's death, when Mande became the one constant in my chaotic life. Or maybe it was always there, hidden beneath the layers of loyalty and respect. Whatever it was, I couldn't deny it anymore.

Mande had a way of being there without being overbearing, of speaking the truth even when I didn't want to hear it. She had this quiet strength that kept me grounded, a sharp mind that saw through all the lies and pretense. And lately, I found myself watching her more than I should, noticing things I never let myself notice before-the way her lips curved when she smiled, the way her laughter sounded like a reprieve in a world full of noise.

I told myself it was nothing. Just admiration, maybe a fleeting distraction. But the truth was, she was the one thing I looked forward to at the end of the day.

It was usually late when we ended up alone, the house quiet except for the occasional creak of the floorboards. Tonight was no different. I sat in the den, a cigarette between my fingers and a drink in my hand. Mande walked in, her expression calm as always, but I caught the hint of amusement in her eyes.

"You're going to smoke the whole pack again, aren't you?" she said, leaning against the doorframe.

I smirked, taking a drag before exhaling slowly. "Maybe. Care to join me?"

She rolled her eyes but stepped closer, taking the cigarette I offered her. We sat there, the silence between us comfortable, the glow of the embers lighting up her face in the dim room.

"You're too serious, you know," I teased, watching her. "When's the last time you just... let loose?"

She raised an eyebrow, blowing out a puff of smoke. "Someone has to keep things running around here. Can't have the great Makidi falling apart on my watch."

I laughed, a deep, genuine sound I hadn't heard from myself in a long time. "Falling apart? Is that what you think I'm doing?"

She tilted her head, studying me in that way she always did, like she could see straight through me. "Sometimes," she said honestly.

That honesty was one of the things I admired most about her, even if it sometimes caught me off guard. "Well, maybe I'm not as strong as everyone thinks," I admitted, surprising even myself with the confession.

She didn't say anything for a moment, just looked at me with those steady eyes of hers. Then she reached for her drink, taking a sip before responding. "You don't have to be strong all the time, Makidi. No one's asking you to be."

The way she said it, so matter-of-fact, made something in my chest tighten. She always had this way of cutting through the bullshit, of reminding me that I was more than just the title I carried.

I leaned back in my chair, watching her as she flicked the ash from her cigarette. "You know," I said, my voice lower now, "I think you're the only person who's not afraid of me."

She smiled, just a little. "Maybe that's because I know you better than anyone else."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just nodded, letting the silence stretch between us. But my eyes stayed on her, taking in the way her hair fell over her shoulder, the way her fingers held the cigarette with a practiced ease.

I knew I shouldn't be thinking about her like this. She was Mande, my rock, the one person I could trust. But the more time I spent with her, the harder it was to ignore the pull I felt toward her.

"You're dangerous, you know that?" I said suddenly, the words slipping out before I could stop them.

She looked at me, surprised. "Me? Dangerous? That's rich coming from you."

I chuckled, shaking my head. "You have no idea."

She didn't push, didn't ask me to explain. That was another thing I admired about her-she knew when to leave things unsaid. But as we sat there, smoking and laughing in the quiet of the night, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was the one thing keeping me from losing myself completely.

And that scared me more than anything else.