“That’s his room.” Kieran glances at me with wide eyes. “She’s in his room. Like… our Silas. ‘Don’t touch my shit’Silas.”
“That is absolutely his room.”
We stand there, staring at the warped version of our hallway. It wasn’t like this when we left earlier.
Was it?
“Did we… miss a meeting?” Kieran blinks once, squeezing his eyes shut like he’ll open them and be back in our usual normality. “Or did we walk into an alternate reality? A timeline where Silas Brewer falls first?”
“I’ve been betting money on Silas holding out the longest,” I say under my breath.
“You should stop gambling.” Kieran snorts. “Who were you making bets with?”
Another laugh filters down the hall. It’s not just laughter, though; it’s something warmer. Less guarded. And it’s followed by a soft sound that makes my spine light up like a New Year’s Eve fireworks show.
I lift a hand, stopping us both from moving. “Okay. Yep. That’s?—”
“We are not interrupting them.” Kieran doesn’t look at me, but he finally releases my arm to run his fingers through his hair. “Do not interrupt them.”
“You say that as if it’s a moral stance.”
“You argue like you really want to die today.”
I hum in agreement. “Fair.”
Silence stretches between us, realization heavy in our semi-voyeuristic listening party.
“This changes things,” I say finally.
Kieran nods. “It stabilizes them.”
I glance at him. “You really think that?”
“If Silas is in,” he mentions quietly, shrugging. “Yeah. This stops being theoretical. He doesn’tdohalfway. He doesn’t fake connection.”
“Not a connection like that.” I huff. “He fell fast.”
Kieran’s mouth curves into a grin. “He fell honestly.”
There’s another moan from down the hall. It’s muffled now, but it’s unmistakably Eris.
“Then we give them time,” I say, swallowing thickly. “Let him choose this without us crowding his decision.”
“He already has.” Kieran’s gaze stays on the closed door. “We can’t fuck this up, Jace.”
I nod, but I don’t move.
We don’t speak, either.
We just stand there listening, absolute clarity slapping us in our faces...
This was something only bordering on defined when we left earlier.
But now?
It’s real.
And none of us will walk away from Eris.
