Luckily, Key interrupts by dragging Luke out of the room so they can read their letters together, their voices fading into playful argument as the door closes behind them.
I let out a slow breath.
They really do have a strange kind of friendship.
Alone again, I move through the room slowly, taking it in. The bed. The window. The quiet. Trying to settle into it, to understand what I’m feeling now that everything has shifted.
It’s… complicated.
I’m happy. There’s no denying that. But there’s something underneath it too. A tension I can’t quite shake. Like my body is waiting for something to go wrong. Like it doesn’t trust the happiness yet.
It’s familiar, in a way I don’t like.
After big moments. Big changes. I always feel this. That edge. That sense that something is about to break.
I probably need to talk to someone about that. A therapist, maybe.
The thought lingers just as there’s a soft knock at the door. It opens a moment later, and Reid steps inside.
“Hey,” he says, smiling slightly as he closes it behind him. “Just wanted to check how you were settling in.”
“Well,” I say, glancing around, “you know I’ve never been great at packing or unpacking, so… currently existing somewhere between both.”
He lets out a quiet chuckle, and I find myself smiling back.
There’s a brief pause as he walks further into the room and sits down on the edge of the bed.
I recognize that look immediately.
He wants to talk.
About everything.
My nerves tighten instinctively, but for once, I don’t feel the urge to run from it.
If anything… I want this.
I need this.
Because whatever this is between us now—it’s not just about the two of us anymore. Luke and Talon are part of it too. If we don’t handle this properly, they’ll get caught in it. I don’t want that.
“So,” he says, his voice quieter now. “I want to start by saying I’m sorry.”
“No, you don’t have to?—”
“Yes, I do.” He shakes his head slightly. “And I think I need to start from the beginning. Not to excuse anything. Just… so you understand. Why I felt like—and still feel like—I was never good enough for you.”
It lands hard.
I swallow, bracing myself.
This is going to hurt. But it might finally answer everything I’ve been carrying around for years.
I sit down beside him.
“I’m ready,” I say.
And this time, I mean it.