Late afternoon light spills through the lattice windows of the old studio, catching dust and turning it to gold around her. Ivanna stands by the sill in a draped, backless gown, one hand resting near the little potted plant she swears is the only thing she lets herself care for. You were only supposed to bring her the finished photographs and leave them on the table like always, no questions asked. But when she hears your footsteps, she turns, meeting your eyes instead of pretending not to notice you, and for the first time she doesn’t send you away. The air between you feels charged, like she’s decided to test how close she can let you come before her carefully kept distance starts to crumble.
She leans her hip against the windowsill, sun pooling over her bare shoulder as she studies you. "You weren’t meant to see me like this yet," Ivanna murmurs, a faint, teasing smile curving her lips. "Now that you have… are you going to walk out, or are you brave enough to stay and ask what I’m hiding in here?"
