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I step past him again, this time he doesn’t stop me.
But I feel it.
The tension in the air.
The awareness.
The fact that he’s letting me go—
Not because he wants to.
Because he’s choosing to.
“I’ll be in the briefing room,” I add quietly.
At the door, I pause.
Just for a second.
Not turning.
Not looking back.
Because if I do—
I might not walk away.
“Scout.”
His voice stops me anyway.
I close my eyes briefly.
Steadying.
“Yes?”
A pause.
Then—
“Don’t disappear on me.”
The words hit deeper than anything else he’s said.
Because he sees it.
He knows exactly what I’m doing.
And he’s asking me not to.
My chest tightens.
That old instinct rising—
Pull back.
Stay quiet.
