I see him.
Aaron.
Standing near the wall.
Arms crossed.
Still.
Controlled.
Very much not relaxed.
For a second—
Everything else disappears.
The room.
The noise.
The war.
Gone.
Then he moves.
Closing the distance.
Stopping just in front of me.
Close enough to feel the shift in him.
“You okay?” he asks.
Low.
Careful.
“Yes.”
His eyes search mine.
Not quick.
Thorough.
“Did they touch you?”
“No.”
A beat.
Then—
“Good.”
One word.
