"Did something happen?"
"He told me we're fated mates."
More silence.
Then, very carefully: "Okay. Walk me through this."
I take a breath. "His species experiences this biological bond thing once in a lifetime. His body is literally hardwired to recognize me as his mate on a neurological level. Autonomic synchronization. Chemical bonding. The whole nine yards."
"Okay."
"And last night, when I was working on him, something shifted. His amber veins went nuclear. And I felt it too. Like something inside me just—clicked. Like my body recognized him back."
"And you're freaking out because you don't know if you wanted it, or if your biology wanted it for you."
My throat tightens. "Yeah."
Audrey is quiet for a moment. I can hear her moving around, probably making coffee. Then she says: "Did you want it?"
"What?"
"When it was happening. When you felt that click. Did you want it?"
I close my eyes.
I think about the way his massive frame trembled under my hands. The way his voice cracked when he tried to explain what was happening. The way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the entire world that mattered.
"Yes," I say quietly. "I wanted it."
"Then that's the only thing that matters."
"But what if—"
"Tamsin. Listen to me." Her voice is firm now, cutting through my spiral. "You've spent your entire adult life making choices based on survival. You worked three jobs. You ate ramen for dinner. You wore shoes with cracked soles because you couldn't afford new ones. You made a thousand tiny choices every single day just to keep your head above water."
She pauses.
"And now you're telling me that you can't trust yourself to know what you want?"
My chest tightens.
"It's different," I say.
"How?"
"Because this isn't about survival. This is about—" I stop. "This is about love. And commitment. And forever. And I don't know if I'm ready for that."
"Okay. So don't be ready."
I blink. "What?"
"You don't have to be ready. You don't have to have it all figured out right now. You just have to decide if you want to stay or if you want to leave. That's it. That's the only choice you need to make today."
I stare out at the city.
At the endless sprawl of buildings and streets and lives I'll never touch.
At the pale morning light creeping across rooftops.
