The force was gentle, but it caught Arwen off guard. Before she registered what had happened, she already felt his arms wrapping around her, holding her in a close, warm embrace.
"Stay for a moment," she heard him mumble, and she stopped for him. One hand clutched his jacket while the other rested quietly over his back, his palm still over his shoulder blade.
Seconds passed. Then a full minute. But she didn't move.
She let him hold her for as long as he needed, because she could feel something had shifted inside him —something he wasn't saying aloud.
She wanted to ask. The question was right there, sitting on the tip of her tongue.
But she knew now wasn't the right moment.
"I want to take you somewhere."
His voice reached her again, soft and low, yet clear.
A flash of confusion crossed her face as she pulled back slightly to look at him. "Now?"
He stepped back just a little, shaking his head. "After dinner. But tonight."
