"Okay." Landen's voice was soft.
Adriel's heart did something complicated in his chest.
"What about you?" he managed. "Was it… was I…
He couldn't finish the question. Didn't know how to ask if Landen had liked it, if it had been good for him, if he'd wanted it as much as Adriel had.
Landen's arm tightened around him slightly.
"It was perfect," Landen said. "You were perfect."
Adriel made a sound.
"You don't believe me," Landen said. It wasn't a question.
"I…" Adriel stopped. Swallowed. "It's not that I don't believe you. It's just…" He laughed, quiet and broken. "I've never beenperfectbefore…”
Landen was quiet for a long moment. Then he shifted. Moved just enough to turn Adriel toward him, to face him in the dark. His hand came up, cupped Adriel's cheek, thumb tracing the line of his cheekbone.
"Look at me," Landen said quietly.
The room was dark, but enough light filtered through the blinds for him to see Landen's face. His eyes, dark and steady. His expression open in a way Adriel had never seen before.
"I'm going to tell you something," Landen said. "And I need you to hear it."
Adriel waited.
"I've been with people," Landen said. "A lot of people. In a lot of ways." His thumb kept moving on Adriel's cheek. Gentle. Steady. "And I've never…" He stopped. Started again. "What just happened with you? That wasn't like anything I've done before."
Adriel's breath caught.
"I don't know what this is," Landen continued. "I don't know where it's going. But I know it's not nothing. And I know I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you ask me to."
Adriel stared at him.
"You don't have to say anything," Landen said. "I just needed you to know."
Adriel's eyes stung. He didn't cry. But the feeling was there, pressing behind his eyes, hot and overwhelming.
"I don't know how to do this," Adriel whispered.
"Do what?"
"Trust someone. Believe them." His voice cracked. "Every time I've tried, they…" He stopped. Swallowed.
Landen's thumb kept moving on his cheek. "I'm not them," he said quietly.
"I know."
"I'm not going to do what they did."
Adriel nodded. Small. Believing it and not believing it all at once.
"I'm scared," he admitted. The words came out barely there. "I'm really scared."
Landen pulled him closer. Wrapped both arms around him and held him against his chest. His lips pressed to the top of his head.
"I know," he murmured. "That's okay. You can be scared. I'm not going anywhere."
