The Messenger( Iva) novel Chapter 234

Decision II-1

Lori waited.

Her heart was suspended somewhere in her throat, each beat a painful throb against her pulse points. The room had grown smaller somehow, the walls pressing inward, the air thick and heavy with anticipation. Attia’s hand still rested on her cheek. His dark eyes searched her face, as if he was looking for something -an answer, a sign, a reason to take the leap.

When he finally spoke, his words surprised her.

“I don’t want to be unfair to you,” he said quietly. “Or selfish.”

Lori felt like she couldn’t breathe.

She waited, frozen, while the silence stretched between them like a wire pulled taut.

“I don’t want either of us to regret,” he continued, his thumb tracing a slow, absent circle on her cheekbone. “To live with ‘what if.””

Her heart cracked open.

“Yes,” she whispered.

He continued, “The Moon Goddess tied us. But surprising or not… that is not enough for a happy life.”

Attia’s hand dropped from her face.

He stepped back-just a step, but it felt like miles-and began to pace the small room. His broad shoulders were tense, his hands clasped behind his back.

“There is trust,” he said. “Respect. Compromise. Understanding. So many things that keep a couple together. The bond is a beginning, not an end.”

Lori’s trembling voice cut through the air.

“What are you saying?”

Attia stopped pacing.

He turned to face her, and his expression was raw-more open than she had ever seen him. The mask was gone. The cold, intimidating headmaster had vanished, replaced by a man who looked almost… afraid.

“I am saying,” he spoke slowly, each word weighted, “let us give ourselves the chance to know each other. Before we make any decisions.”

Lori’s eyes went wide.

“Like… dating?” The word felt strange on her tongue-too casual, too ordinary for the magnitude of what was happening between them.

Attia looked conflicted. His jaw tightened. His gaze dropped to the floor, then rose to meet hers again.

13

Decision –

was thinking more of… discovery.”

tori blinked in confusion.

“Discovery?” She tilted her head, a nervous laugh escaping her lips. “Like we play twenty questions? Or what?”

Attia’s lips twitched.

Claim

The ghost of a smile flickered across his face the first she had ever seen from him. It transformed him, softened the hard edges, made him look almost approachable.

“Something like that,” he said. “Along those lines, at least.” His smile faded, replaced by a more serious expression. “But it would be something more difficult.”

“Difficult how?”

“Difficult as in… we would be in each other’s proximity. All the time.”

Lori blinked again, trying to process his words.

“All the time?”

“Not literally.” He ran a hand through his dark hair, a gesture of frustration that made him look almost boyish. “But enough to observe each other. How we react under pressure. How we treat people who cannot offer us anything. How we handle conflict and disappointment and ordinary, boring days. Talks about past, present and future…”

Lori’s heart was pounding.

“And how do you propose we do this?” she asked. “We’re at an academy. All eyes are on you. People will notice if we spend time together.”

Attia nodded slowly. He had clearly been thinking about this.

“You are a medical student,” he said. “But I was thinking that you could be hired as a temp part-time assistant in my office. I need someone on the archive and admin side.”

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