“I know what it’s like to be mistaken for someone’s second chance,” I say. “And I know how dangerous that can be.”
He’s quiet for several beats. I tense, worried I pushed him too far.
Finally, he breaks the silence. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“Why?” I ask. “Because they’re true?”
He doesn’t answer.
But he doesn’t leave either.
“Can you... take off the blindfold?” I ask.
The silence stretches so long it starts to itch beneath my skin. I listen for his breathing, for movement—anything to tell me where he is.
Finally, I hear him step closer. “You don’t need to see,” he says, his voice steady again.
“I know,” I reply. “I just want to.”
Another pause.
I feel him reach for the knot at the back of my head, fingers brushing my hair—careful, almost reverent. My pulse spikes. Every muscle in my body locks down, waiting for the wrong move.
“This doesn’t mean anything,” he says quietly. “It doesn’t change what’s happening.”
“I understand,” I say. And I do. I’m not asking for freedom. I’m asking for aconnection.
The fabric shifts. Light bleeds in slowly, painfully bright at first. I blink hard, vision swimming as shapes come into focus.
Him.
He’s closer than I expected. Kneeling in front of me, his face tense, unreadable. His eyes flick over mine like he’s bracing for something—recognition, maybe. Judgment.
I don’t give him either.
I keep my expression soft. Open. Human.
“You look different,”he says.
“So do you,” I reply.
That earns me the faintest crease between his brows. “I won’t untie you,” he says, like a warning.
“I know.” I glance down at the restraints, then back up at him. “Thank you for trusting me anyway.”
He scoffs, but there’s no heat in it. “This isn’t trust.”
“No,” I agree. “It’s hesitation.”
The word lands heavier than anything I’ve said so far.
He shifts back, rising to his feet, creating distance without leaving.
“You shouldn’t be this calm.”
“I’m not calm,” I say honestly. “I’m choosing where to spend my fear.”
He looks at me sharply then, like that surprises him. “Claire used to say things like that.”
