Now THAT is how you write a traumatized couple bonding and trying to heal. They're not healing together, but they're healing on their own while still being close to each other. Also, it's not the "arrogant 6'0" traumatized emo boy with tattoos is softened by the small but strong girl who like knives" it's a story of independence and healing. really. In SoC, Inej addresses how closed off Kaz is, but even better, we didn't get a straight up confession. It was slow and Kaz just asked her to stay with him in Ketterdam. But she knew he had walls and they wouldn't work out--their paths just led different ways. Kaz also knows that she's right, so he lets her go. They have a mutual understanding for each other's hesitation for physical contact (with Kaz's haphephobia and Inej's experience at the Menagerie) But the inner monologue they have about each other is wonderful. An underrated Kanej moment is when Kaz presents Inej's contract to her in chapter 26 of Crooked Kingdom and says smth along the lines of not wanting her to be tied to anyone, but he internally says that he had come up with a million ways to try and bind her to him. Ultimately, he doesn't. Not to mention that he paid off that contract with his own money. Spoiler: girls, get yourself a guy who buys you a ship and forces the king of Ravka to find your parents. Also, the Kanej letters?! They're what, 26-27 now?! The merchers think they're decoding some elaborate heist between Kaz Brekker--the infamous crime boss--and some crew mate aboard the Wraith. In reality the poor guy just wants to see his spider again :(