I remember them too.
How young we were. How certain. How convinced that wanting something badly enough meant we'd get to keep it.
How wrong we were.
I take a breath. Hold it. Let it out slowly.
"I should let you get back to work."
"Yeah."
But he doesn't move, and neither do I.
We stand there, suspended, caught in some kind of gravitational pull neither of us is acknowledging.
Finally—finally—he steps back, and the spell breaks.
"Like I said, the cabin's yours for as long as you need it," he says, voice carefully controlled. "No questions asked."
"Thank you."
He walks me to the door and at the entrance, we pause. He holds the door for me. I step through quickly, putting distance between us like my life depends on it.
"I'm glad you decided to stay, Len," he says quietly, and when I turn back, the look on his face nearly undoes me.
I look up at him, and for a second I forget everything else.
"Me too, I think." I admit, and it's the truest thing I've said all day.
Then I force myself to turn and walk away before I can say anything else.
Before I can do something reckless.
I walk back to the cabin, the sun warm on my face and my mind racing.
I'm in so much fucking trouble.
Then again, who am I kidding?
I've been in trouble since our eyes met and seven years collapsed into nothing.
CHAPTER 19
THATCH - THE VOICE OF REASON
NATE
Nate
Practice is tomorrow. We need you there to finish this album. Call me if you need anything, yeah?
I hitsend and watch the message go through to Tommy.
No response. Not that I expect one immediately—Tommy's been operating on his own timeline for months.
I recognize the pattern because I lived it. The difference is I had people who didn't let me slip away completely.
I set the phone down on the kitchen counter and pour myself a cup of coffee because it's going to be a late one mixing tracks tonight, eyes drifting to the window.
