Page 200 of Joker

“And I’m not letting him get close to you again.”

That’s the line. That’s the truth. That’s the promise.

She exhales slowly. Then she does something I don’t expect. She reaches up, slides her hand into my hair, and pulls me down just enough that our foreheads press together.

“Then don’t die,” she whispers.

That one hits harder than anything else. Not because it’s dramatic. Because it’s not. Because it’s simple. Honest. Terrified. And completely real.

My hand tightens at her waist. “I won’t.”

She studies my face like she’s trying to memorize it. Then, quietly, “I love you.”

Everything in me stops.

Not freezes. Not locks.

Just…stops.

Because that’s the one thing I didn’t expect her to say first.

Not like this. Not now. Not with adrenaline still in the air and fear still sitting in her bones.

But she means it.

I can see it. Feel it. It’s not soft. It’s not hesitant. It’s solid. And it lands deep.

I don’t hesitate. “I love you too,” I tell her.

The words come out rough. Real. Final. No taking them back.

Her eyes close for a second like she needed to hear that more than anything else. Then she kisses me.

Not soft. Not tentative. Like something claimed. Like something chosen. Like something that isn’t breaking just because the world got violent around it.

When we pull apart, there’s no distance left. Not from the fight. Not from the fear.

Just us.

Together.

Exactly where we’re supposed to be.

The knock comes ten minutes later.

Sharp. Purposeful.

I already know it’s not casual. “Yeah,” I call.

Dom opens the door just enough to step in. His expression is tight. Focused. “We’ve got him.”

The room goes still.

My body doesn’t react the way it did earlier.

No surge. No spike. Just that same cold, clean clarity settling back into place.

“Where?” I ask.