“No.” Not even slightly.
“Then don’t.”
“But—”
“Mina. You never have to work again for a single day in your life if you don’t want to. If you want to write, I’ll support you. If you want to study, then I’ll be right there. If you’re looking for permission to do what makes you happy, this is it.”
A lump lodges in my throat, and I swallow it down. I know he’s right, and I know what I need to do to get what I want—and that’s freedom.
“Okay,” I say once more. “I’ll come with you.”
The universe’s wrath can hold off for another day. For now, it’s just me, Leo, and the promise I won’t sink alone.
“I’ve requested to be traded.” A vein in Leo’s forehead throbs. “I can’t fucking be here around Jack anymore.”
“I’ll come with you—move, I mean. I’ll move with you.”
His hazel eyes brighten beneath the low light. “Yeah?”
Yeah.I’m certain.
“I can’t very well stalk you if I’m in another city. That’d be too expensive for me.” My voice is cracked and croaked, but it doesn’t stop the edges of both our mouths from tipping up.
“Likewise.” His thumb skates over my cheeks, wiping away the evidence of my tears. “I much prefer watching you in real life than through the cameras.”
“If we move in together?—”
“When,” he corrects.
I start again, grinning softly as I play with his fingers and measure the size of his hand against mine. “When we move in together, will you still have cameras up everywhere?”
“Obviously.”
“In our bedroom?”
His muscles start to unwind with every word, and I find myself melting into his touch. “That’s where I’ll have the most.”
“For security reasons?”
“For security reasons,” he confirms.
“But none in the bathroom.”
He tips his head, considering. “I could be convinced. You’d have to send pictures before getting into the shower.”
“Even if you’re there?”
“Then I can hold the camera.”
I smile softly to myself and ease my head to settle against his chest. I trace the seam of his hoodie and force myself to keep my eyes open and not succumb to the comfort his touch brings.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “For coming back for me.”
“I told you, nothing you do will ever make me leave you.”
I hold up my hand. “Pinky promise?”
He hooks his finger around mine. “Pinky promise.”
