…Would he?
Would you touch me?
The memory flickered—Dev’s voice, low, hesitant, unexpectedly vulnerable.
Why had he asked me that?
And why now, after everything, after all these years…
why was touching him suddenly all I could think about?
Ash snuffled beside me, shifting in his sleep.
I eased myself away, careful not to disturb either of them, and moved toward the entrance.
K was still curled against the stone doorframe, blocking the cave out of pure instinct. I stepped past him quietly, unwilling to wake him.
Just outside was a narrow ledge—two metres of stone jutting out over the forest below. I had noticed it last time, barely. A thin path wound down its side into the trees.
The sun had already warmed the rock, so I sat with my feet dangling over the edge.
In my stomach, a knot of anxiety twisted tighter with every passing minute.
I had to go back.
I didn’t want to.
I had to.
How will I face this?
“Be careful. That’s a big drop,” K said behind me.
I jumped at the sound.
Turning, I saw him pushing himself upright. He looked terrible—like he hadn’t slept at all.
“I’m not afraid of heights,” I murmured.
“Maybe I am,” he said quietly. “Ever thought of that?”
I shook my head, a reluctant smile tugging at my mouth.
“You aren’t scared of anything. You never were.”
He walked toward me slowly, then lowered himself onto the stone at my side.
“Do you remember that night we snuck out to watch the fireworks after the Light Festival?” he asked.
I nodded, the memory unfolding warm and bittersweet.
“We sat on my roof. Sable got us blankets, but she couldn’t stay. It was just us.”
“You were fifteen then.”
“You were seventeen,” I said softly. “Already a big man. I always felt like a kid beside Sable… but not beside you.”
“I never saw you as a kid, Seph.”
