Page 110 of The Wright Man

And everything inside me stopped.

It wasn't Gavin.

It was Maleek.

And he looked... wrecked.

He had one hand gripping the back of his neck, his eyes darting around like they didn't know where to land. His shirt was wrinkled, and there was a tension in his jaw I didn't recognize—fear. Real fear.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the words never made it out.

"I'm sorry," he blurted. "Angel, I'm so fucking sorry."

I blinked.

"I shouldn't've said that shit to you. I didn't mean a word of it, and even if I had, it doesn't excuse how I said it. You didn't deserve that. You've never deserved that. And I've been beating myself up all week for what I did. I didn't even know if I should come here, if you'd even want to see me..."

"Maleek—"

"But I couldn't not come. I couldn't go another day without telling you how sorry I am. You've always been there for me—even when I wasn't there for myself. Even when I didn't deserve it. And if you never wanna speak to me again, I get it. I should probably leave. Let you have the life you deserve and just—"

"Shut up." The words cracked out of me as I grabbed his face in my hands. My eyes burned. My chest cracked wide open.

"Just... shut up," I whispered, cradling his head against mine, my arms wrapping around him like muscle memory.

"I forgive you," I whispered, "just—please, never talk about walking out of my life again."

He hesitated for half a second before folding into me. His arms came around my waist, holding me like he was scared I'd disappear. Then I felt it—his shoulders trembling. Soft, broken sobs against my neck.

"I'm broken, Angel." he whispered into my hair. "I'm in pieces. And not even you can put me back together again. You shouldn't have to. You shouldn't have to walk around with stains just because I'm bleeding."

I pulled back, cupping his face in my hands.

I'd never seen him like this.

Not after Dana. Not even after Kareem.

This wasn't grief. It was surrender. Like he'd finally accepted he was drowning and was too tired to fight it.

I was this close. This close to telling him I didn't care about the stains. That I'd wear red and walk with him anyway. That I'd burn if I had to, if it meant he wasn't alone in the fire.

And then he looked at me and said, "I'm joining the Marines, Angel."

The bottom dropped out of my world.

"What?"

"I'm serious."

My hands fell from his face.

"Is this because of me?" I asked, voice sharp, almost too quiet.

"No."

"Is this about me and Gavin?"

That landed like a gut punch. His jaw clenched. His eyes finally met mine again.