My chest tightened. “Talked like what?”
“Like I matter in their plans.”
I cupped his cheek with my free hand. “You matter in mine.”
His eyes softened. “I haven’t really thought past senior year. I knew you were leaving. I’ve always known that, but ...”
I stayed quiet.
“That part’s never been a surprise because you’ve been talking about the Air Force forever, but I just assumed you’d go do your thing, and I’d stay here. Maybe community college. Work. Whatever made the most sense.” He stepped closer, and I dropped my hand on his cheek, and his fell away from my chest. “I didn’t think you were planning around me.”
“I am.”
He snorted a small laugh. “Yeah, I’m getting that.”
“I mean it.”
“I know. That’s why I’m trying not to lose my shit right now.”
I cracked a grin. “You’re doing a terrible job.”
“Shut up.”
“I’m not asking you to decide your whole life right this minute,” I replied. “I’m just saying when I leave, I don’t want that to be it for us.”
“Us?”
“Yeah.”
He let out a slow breath. “You keep saying that like it’s a real thing.”
“It is a real thing.”
He dropped his gaze again. “We’ve never called it anything.”
“I know.”
“We’ve never talked about what we’re doing.”
“I know.”
His attention returned to me. “Then how are you so sure?”
I stepped closer. “Because the idea of leaving without you in my life feels wrong.”
He grew quiet, and I could see the moment it hit. “Rowan.”
“I mean it.”
He laughed softly. “I don’t even know what that would look like. I don’t know where I’d live. I don’t know how any of it would work.”
“We’d figure it out,” I replied even if I had no idea how.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because I mean it.”
He huffed a breath. “You make it sound easy.”
