“Ayden…”
“Don’t shut me out. What are you afraid of?”
“Losing you,” he blurts, so fast I know without a doubt he believes it. “I should’ve told you months ago… what I did…”
I hold his gaze, unwavering, hoping he sees that nothing he could ever say or do would make me leave.
“This guilt is… unbearable. I can’t…”
“You can.”
He groans, frustrated, the sound jagged. “If only it were that easy. These feelings—they come so suddenly, so violently. And I can’t stop them. I can’t beat the shit out of them, I can’t… put a restraining order on it—” he cuts himself off, shaking his head. A sigh slips through, ragged and low. “I’m sorry…”
Without hesitation, I step into him, wrapping my arms around his body. My head rests against his shoulder, and for a moment, Ibrace myself for him to push me away.
But he doesn’t.
“Stop apologizing to me. I understand…”
His hand finds the back of my head, the other anchoring around my back. He holds me like he’s afraid the world will rip me out of his arms.
“I’m here. Talk with me,” I whisper. “The only way I’d ever go anywhere is if you let me go.”
“I don’t want that.” His voice cracks, and I swear it’s impossible to hold him tighter—but I do.
“Then tell me. Let me help carry the weight of this guilt, Keo.”
He swallows hard, like the words lodged in his throat are razor blades. His grip shifts, desperate now, like whatever he’s about to confess could end the world. Maybe for him it feels that way. But not for me. The only way my world would ever end is if he wasn’t in it.
“Wanting your forgiveness for this… feels so fucking selfish. I’m sorry, Ayden…”
47
July 31st, 2026
“Thanks for taking the extra days, Keoni,” Elijah, my fire chief, says as he slaps my shoulder. “You’re going to be missed.”
I nod. “No problem. It’ll be nice to spend more time with everyone. I’ll be moving up to Colorado officially next week.”
We start up the long walkway that circles inside the fire station.
“You tell your parents yet?” he asks.
“Nah, they’re on a road trip right now. But they’ll come home to a letter from me. A nice little surprise.”
He smiles genuinely at me. “You’ll be hard to replace, Pierce. Just know?—”
My phone starts ringing, and I pull it out quickly. “Sorry about that.” I spot the caller ID, and it’s like I’ve summoned her to call me.
“No problem, need to take it?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. We can continue after.”
He nods, and I step back before placing my cell to my ear. “Good afternoon, Mom.”
“Keo, how’re you, honey?”
Leaning against the railing, I sigh. “Good, it’s hotter than Hades here.” She laughs. “How’s the trip going?”
