"Nice place," I say.
"You didn't drive out here to compliment my cabin."
"No." I turn to face him. "I came because you're running and I need to know why."
"I told you why."
"You said it's because of Luke. Because you don't want to betray his trust." I take a step closer. "But that's not the whole truth, is it?"
Ethan's jaw tightens. "What do you want me to say?"
"I want you to tell me what you're afraid of."
"I'm not afraid."
"You are, you're terrified. And it's not just about Luke."
He looks away. Out the window into the darkness. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't I?" Another step. We're close now. Close enough that I can see the tension in his shoulders. The way his hands curl into fists. "I think you're afraid that if you let yourself want this, want me, you won't be able to stop. And that scares you more than Luke's reaction ever could."
"Callie."
"Tell me I'm wrong."
He doesn't. He can't.
The silence stretches. I wait.
"You are wrong," he finally says, but his voice lacks conviction.
"Prove it."
"How?"
"Look at me and tell me you don't want this. Tell me leaving has nothing to do with how you feel. Tell me any of it and I'll leave. I'll go home and pretend this conversation never happened."
He turns. Our eyes meet. The distance between us feels like miles and inches at the same time.
"I can't do that," he says quietly.
"Why not?"
"Because you're right."
The admission lands like a physical thing. Heavy. Real.
I close the remaining distance between us. "Then stop running."
"It's not that simple."
"It is. You're just making it complicated."
"Luke trusts me."
"Luke trusts both of us. That doesn't mean we owe him control over our lives."
"It's not about control."
