He seemed to have gone cold on her over the next few days, and she couldn't understand why. Did she say or do something wrong? To her, it felt like he managed to read her thoughts and now no longer felt safe around her. For days, he mostly stayed in his bed, staring off into space in utter silence. She moved around the room like a ghost, but there was hardly anything to do. He hardly ate anything she brought him, and he hardly seemed to sleep. He was just there and she was just there, drifting and floating in a void of nothingness and thoughts unspoken.

The book they were reading remained on the couch where he had left it. When she thought he wasn't looking, she couldn't help but steal a glance, poring over the pages to try to find where they stopped and possibly try to read the rest on her own. The words muddled together on the paper, and she struggled to bite back the frustration of being barred from the world of fantasy by her own limitations. At some point, she tried whispering the words out loud to herself, desperately trying to make sense of it all.

"It's pronounced 'island,'" Magnus interjected, his voice a little scratchier than usual. "The 's' is silent."

Her head shot up to look at him, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks. She immediately set the book aside and rushed over to him. "I'm sorry, do you need anything? I just thought I'd give it a try since I wasn't...since you weren't..."

He smiled a little, sitting up and leaning his back against the headboard. "Bring it here."

He didn't need to tell her twice, but she stalled as she returned to his side. Though he smiled at her, his eyes looked tired and seemed to be just barely holding himself upright. His curls were messy and she could see the scar on his temple again, but she tried her best not to stare.

"Are you alright?" she dared to ask. "What's been going on?"

He glanced down, taking the book from her hands and motioning for her to sit next to him. After a brief moment of hesitation and a slight nudge, she complied, kicking off her shoes so as to not ruin his sheets. Unsurprisingly, his bed was even more comfortable than his couch, and she had to resist the urge to bury herself under the covers.

"I think I need an escape from this world," he murmured, opening the book to where they had left off. "Try to follow along this time, alright?"

She nodded, and he began reading again. In an attempt to see the words on the page better, she tentatively scooted closer, closing the distance between them, but he didn't seem to mind. If anything, he seemed to welcome it.

As they sat there together, she couldn't help but notice how he really seemed to like physical touch. It was never anything too intrusive, just a nudge of his arm against her arm or a brush of his shoulder against hers, but she had grown sensitive to things like that over the years, especially involving men. She was grateful for the barrier of their clothes because she expected recoil if he ever touched her skin.

The one exception was their hands. The time he had cut her hands and the time he had tended to her splinter wounds were the only times they had touched skin to skin, and somehow he managed to make her feel so at ease that she could forget her discomfort. It was odd and unexpected and just so different from all the others. His touch wasn't rough nor greedy; he was never trying to take from her or use her. Instead he was gentle and caring, focused on what he could give and provide for her.

As they neared the end of the story, Magnus paused and looked over at Mina. "I don't think they're going to end up together. What do you think?"

She met his gaze. "But isn't that what happens at the end of stories like these?"

"Not always."

She frowned. "I don't want a sad ending."

"It's not necessarily sad. I just think both characters have room to grow before ending up together. So it's more bittersweet than anything."

"Oh..." she murmured, thinking it over. "I guess that makes sense."

He hummed in response and continued reading until the end. He was right; the two main characters went their separate ways after the adventure. As he shut the book, they both leaned back against the headboard, staring off into space as they drifted back to reality.

"It's still sad," Mina said after a few long moments. "That after all that, they still couldn't be together."

"It is," Magnus agreed. "But it could have been worse."

She sighed, letting her eyes fall shut. "There's enough bad, ugly endings we have to deal with in real life, so why have it in made up stories too?"

She felt his gaze on her again, and she turned to meet it. He had that searching look in those deep blue eyes again, trying to unearth the history behind her words, but knowing he would never fully know unless she uncovered it for him. And she wasn't ready to do that anytime soon.

Magnus liked her near him, just a few inches apart, falling into each other's eyes. He liked sharing this moment with her, seeing her normally hard expression soften just a little bit as they escaped reality together. He didn't need to know all the details to know that her life was hard, but more than anything, he wished there was some way he could take that pain away from her, even for a moment. Keeping his gaze fixed on her, he resisted the urge to brush the loose strands of hair away from her face. He couldn't stay away. He couldn't keep his distance unless she pushed him away. But she didn't. And so he held on.

"That's true. I generally prefer happy endings when I read, but stories can also be a reflection of reality. You can see yourselves in the characters and connect their stories with your own."

Her lips parted but no words came out. They were both drowning in an ocean of words unsaid and she felt herself sinking deeper with every passing moment. Every thought she stuffed away and repressed added pressure to her chest, but every truth she chose to reveal felt like a breath of fresh air. She wondered if he felt the same.

She looked back down at the book. "It was a good story regardless. Thank you for sharing with me."

He smiled. To her surprise, he touched her hand and slid the book into her grasp. "Keep it."

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him again. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "Please. I want you to have it. You can even practice reading with it since you already know the story."

She felt a warm feeling form in her heart and spread through her body. Part of her wanted to resist, not wanting another reason to be indebted to him, but she couldn't lie and say she didn't want it. It had been years since she had been gifted anything. Wrapping her arms around the book, she pressed it to her chest. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

"Of course, Mina. I enjoyed reading with you too."

She hesitated, noticing the slightest traces of melancholy still permeating his gaze. Before she could think twice, she reached out and touched his bare hand, feeling the raised skin of his scar under her palm.

"Won't you tell me what's bothering you?" she asked softly. "Talk to me. What's been going on these past few days?"

He turned his hand so that their palms were touching, but he didn't let go. "I'm scared," he finally admitted.

"Of what?"

"That I shouldn't be having this with anyone. That I shouldn't be close to anyone because either they get hurt or I get hurt." He squeezed her hand. "You said that you burn anyone who gets too close to you, but that's true for me too."

She held his hand tightly. "It's hard to fight alone. You shouldn't have to. No one should have to."

He smiled sadly. "But no one can fight my battle for me. And the same goes for you."

"Yes, but we can help each other," she struggled to get the words out but pushed through anyway. "You've already helped me, so let me help you."

He looked down at their scarred hands again, thinking over her words. Maybe she was right. Maybe she was the person he'd always needed, not just a servant or maid, but a friend. Sylvan was wrong about her, he decided; he trusted her and he wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

Leaning down, he kissed her hand, causing her heart to skip a beat. "Thank you, Mina."