Chapter 74: Goodnight

As I walked into our room, the door clicked softly behind me, shutting out the world and its chaos. I took a deep breath, trying to steady the whirlwind of emotions inside me. The room felt unusually quiet, almost sacred, as if it was holding its breath along with me.

I couldn't stop thinking about the kiss. It was all-consuming, a moment that had somehow managed to feel like an eternity and a fleeting instant all at once. The softness of Carmen's lips against mine, the tentative way she had leaned in, as if testing the waters.

And then the way it had deepened, a sudden rush of emotion and passion that had left me breathless. It was like every unspoken word, every hidden feeling between us had been poured into that kiss.

I had never imagined Carmen like this. She had always been distant, a figure of control and authority, someone who kept her emotions under lock and key.