Between Us 

                                                                                      Chapter 16

The space between them felt impossibly small.

Kim hadn’t stepped back.

Ray hadn’t either.

For a moment, neither of them breathed.

Kim’s eyes softened in a way Ray didn’t know how to handle—quiet, warm, conflicted. Like he wanted to say something but didn’t trust himself to say it.

“Ray…” Kim murmured.

Just his voice—low and careful—sent a small shiver down Ray’s spine.

Ray swallowed. “Yeah?”

Kim hesitated, gaze flickering down for a split second before returning to Ray’s face.

Not inappropriate.

Just… searching.

Testing.

Confused.

Ray’s heart hammered unreasonably loud in the quiet room.

Kim took a small breath, then stepped a little closer—as if drawn by instinct before his mind could stop him.

Ray felt the warmth from him, the gentle scent of his freshly washed clothes, that familiar calm that always wrapped around her whenever Kim was near.

It made Ray braver than usual.

“Kim,” Ray whispered, voice barely steady. “What’s really going on?”

Kim’s jaw tensed.

He opened his mouth—closed it—then tried again.

“I’m not myself around you lately,” he said softly.

Ray’s breath caught.

Kim shook his head slightly, frustrated at himself. “I keep thinking I’ve got it under control, but then—”

He stopped.

Ray’s heart felt like it was trying to leap out of her chest.

Kim looked down, quietly exhaling.

His hand lifted slightly—as if he was about to reach for Ray’s arm, or maybe his sleeve—

Ray didn’t move.

Kim’s fingers hovered near her.

Close.

Too close.

Ray felt the warmth of him, felt the moment tightening—like gravity had shifted just for them.

Kim whispered, “This… is the part I can’t figure out.”

Ray’s pulse surged. “Then figure it with me.”

Kim’s eyes snapped up—surprised, vulnerable.

And he leaned in—

Just a little.

Just enough for Ray to feel his breath.

Just enough for Ray to think—

This is it.

But—

The sharp sound of a phone ringing shattered the moment.

Kim flinched back like someone had pulled him away by the collar.

Ray blinked hard, the sudden cold where Kim’s warmth had been making the room feel too big.

Kim fumbled in his pocket.

“It’s—” he paused, glancing at the screen. “It’s Ethan.”

Ray swallowed the disappointment, trying not to show it. “You… should answer.”

Kim nodded, but his eyes lingered on Ray for one more heartbeat—like he wanted to return to that moment but didn’t trust himself anymore.

He stepped away to take the call.

Ray stood frozen.

Confused.

Embarrassed.

Hopeful.

All at once.

Kim’s voice was muffled in the hallway—calm, composed, completely unlike that he’d shown a seconds earlier.

Ray pressed a hand to his chest, trying to steady herself.

“What are you doing to me, Kim…” he whispered to no one.

When Kim returned, his expression had settled back into something unreadable.

“Sorry,” Kim said quietly. “We… we should probably forget what just happened.”

Ray felt something inside him twist painfully.

Forget?

Forget what, exactly?

The closeness?

The almost-confession?

The almost–something-else?

Ray forced a small smile, even though his chest tightened.

“Yeah,” she lied softly.

But the moment lingered between them—unspoken, fragile, impossible to erase.

And Ray wasn’t sure whether to hope or run.