Sofia walked beside Julián, their steps in sync as they left the studio behind, the distant hum of the city filling the silence between them. The night air was cool, but there was a heaviness clinging to the quiet - a feeling that made her acutely aware of the space between them. She couldn't explain it, but sometimes, being near Julián felt like standing at the edge of something vast, something she wasn't entirely meant to understand.

He carried it well, the weight of his father's world. Hades. Sofia had always known there was more to him than the charming, effortlessly magnetic man she had fallen for. But there were moments, like now, when the mystery of what lay beneath the surface pressed down on them. A subtle reminder of the divide between the mortal and the divine.

Julián, always perceptive, seemed to sense the shift in her. His hand brushed lightly against hers, a silent offer of comfort. "You're thinking too hard again," he teased, his voice low and playful, the warmth in his tone pulling her out of her thoughts.

She smiled, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Am I that transparent?" she asked, trying to shake off the feeling, her gaze lingering on the pavement.

"Only to me," he said, leaning in closer, his arm slipping around her waist. "Come on, it's just another night. Let's get out of our heads."

His teasing worked, as it always did, and she let out a soft laugh, leaning into him as they walked. But even as they continued toward the car, Sofia couldn't shake the lingering echo of something unseen between them. Something bigger. Something neither of them had quite said aloud. © tessisamess