"There are some desires," he said, his voice quiet and unhurried and entirely certain of itself, "that were never meant to be governed."
The clock on the wall kept counting.
Neither of them moved.
The air between them crackled with unspoken meaning.
Louisa's lips curved into a slow smile at that. She tilted her head slightly, her eyes gleaming with challenge and curiosity.
"And what might those urges be?" she asked, her voice low and coaxing, as if she were inviting him to share the deepest secrets of his heart.
Julian leaned back slightly in his chair.
"Aunty… the questions are piling up more and more. And as you know, I am not motivated enough."
The words were so unexpected that Louisa actually rolled her eyes for a brief second. She caught herself and recovered quickly, but the frustration had already shown itself before she could pull it back entirely.
"..."
