Neither of them moved.
Dominic was still standing close enough that Elias could feel the warmth of his body, close enough that the space between them felt almost deliberate.
"You didn't move," Dominic repeated softly.
Elias exhaled through his nose.
"You noticed."
"I notice a lot of things when it comes to you."
"That sounds unhealthy."
Dominic chuckled quietly.
"Probably."
For a moment they just stood there, the faint glow of the monitors painting soft blue light across Dominic's face.
A year ago, moments like this had happened all the time.
Late nights.
Arguments.
Almost-confessions that never quite became real.
But tonight felt different.
There was no comfortable distance anymore.
Dominic leaned back slightly against the desk, studying Elias with that same thoughtful look he always had.
"You've changed," he said.
"How?"
"You're quieter."
"I was always quiet."
Dominic shook his head.
"No. You used to argue more."
"That sounds like a complaint."
"It's not."
His gaze softened slightly.
"It's just strange seeing you like this."
Elias crossed his arms.
"You vanished for a year and came back just to analyze me?"
Dominic smiled faintly.
"I came back because I needed to see something."
"What?"
Dominic looked directly into his eyes.
"If I was still stupid enough to feel the same way."
The honesty of the words made Elias pause.
"You call that stupid?"
Dominic shrugged.
"It depends."
"On what?"
"On whether you feel it too."
The question hung in the air again.
Elias hated how easily Dominic did that.
Just drop a sentence into the room and wait for it to explode.
"You've always been dramatic," Elias muttered.
"And you've always avoided the point."
Dominic stepped closer again.
Now the distance between them was almost nonexistent.
"You know what the point is," he said quietly.
Elias held his gaze.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
Dominic's voice softened.
"We spent two years pretending we were just friends."
Elias felt his heartbeat quicken slightly.
"That's what we were."
Dominic raised an eyebrow.
"Were we?"
Silence.
Dominic studied his face carefully.
"You remember that night after the conference?" he asked.
Elias looked away for a moment.
"Yes."
"You almost kissed me."
Elias's jaw tightened slightly.
"That's not what happened."
Dominic laughed softly.
"That is exactly what happened."
Elias rubbed his temple.
"You were drunk."
"You were leaning toward me."
"That doesn't mean anything."
Dominic tilted his head.
"It meant something to me."
The room fell quiet again.
Elias looked back at him slowly.
"You never said that."
"You never asked."
Dominic's hand moved slightly on the desk beside Elias.
Close.
Too close.
"You always did this," Dominic murmured.
"What?"
"Act like feelings are a problem you can solve."
Elias frowned.
"And what do you do?"
Dominic's lips curved faintly.
"I just feel them."
His gaze dropped briefly to Elias's mouth.
The movement was quick.
But Elias noticed.
And suddenly the air felt warmer.
Dominic seemed to realize it too.
His voice lowered slightly.
"You know," he said, "I thought about this moment a lot."
"What moment?"
"This one."
Dominic gestured lightly between them.
"Standing too close again."
Elias swallowed.
"That sounds like poor planning."
Dominic smiled.
"Maybe."
Then he said quietly,
"But I always wondered something."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Dominic's eyes locked with his.
"What would happen if you stopped stopping yourself."
The words landed heavily between them.
Elias felt the familiar instinct rise inside him
the urge to step back, to create distance, to rebuild the wall he always used.
But he didn't move.
Dominic noticed immediately.
A slow, almost dangerous smile appeared on his face.
"There it is again," he said softly.
"What?"
"You staying."
Elias frowned slightly.
"You're reading too much into that."
Dominic leaned closer.
Now their shoulders almost brushed.
"Am I?"
The warmth between them was undeniable now.
Elias could feel Dominic's breath when he spoke.
"You should go home," Elias said quietly.
Dominic didn't move.
"Why?"
"Because this is a bad idea."
Dominic tilted his head slightly.
"You've been saying that about me for years."
"And I was right."
Dominic smiled again.
"Were you?"
Before Elias could answer, Dominic's hand shifted slightly on the desk just enough that his fingers brushed lightly against Elias's wrist.
The contact was brief.
But it sent a small jolt up Elias's arm.
Dominic noticed the reaction instantly.
His voice dropped to almost a whisper.
"See?"
Elias inhaled slowly.
"That proves nothing."
Dominic leaned even closer.
"Elias."
"Yes?"
"Stop pretending you don't want this."
The words sat between them.
Heavy.
Honest.
And for the first time in a very long time
Elias didn't immediately argue.
Which, Dominic realized with quiet satisfaction,
Was already an answer.