I smile. "Same."
A long beat of silence stretches between us. Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, "I want to go too."
What the hell am I doing?
"To the support group?"
"Uh… Yeah. Maybe it would help. With the nightmares." True enough, even if it's not the whole truth.
Daniel would lose his mind.
But Daniel doesn't need to know.
"That's great." Julian's whole face lights up. "We could drive together if you'd like."
"That sounds good."
The trace of a wince stretches across his lips. "You'd have to drop by my sister's with me for a bit though, if that's okay."
"Uh… that's cool. I love meeting new people, and I love kids. How old is your nephew?"
"He's six. His name is Cooper.”
"Adorable, I'm sure."
"Oh yeah."
I'm making a terrible decision. I know it in my bones.
But I can't imagine never seeing Julian again.
The two of us met completely by chance, just a completely random encounter in an average convenience store, and we've formed this unexpected connection. We've bonded over our shared terror, the weight we both carry as a result.
Trauma-bonded, I guess that's what they'd call it. Whatever label you want to put on it, the feeling is real and undeniable. And despite every logical voice in my head screaming that this is dangerous territory, that I'm playing with fire, that Daniel willabsolutely lose his mind if he finds out—I'm not ready to let Julian go.
I'm just not.
I sink into the pillows on my bed, propping my phone against a stack of books. Jenna's face fills the screen, her red hair swept up in that messy bun she favors.
"Thanks again for dinner last week," she gushes. "Daniel really outdid himself with that salmon. You're so lucky he can cook like that."
Guilt twists in my stomach. "Yeah. He's great in the kitchen."
If only that were the whole story.
I bite my lip, knowing I shouldn't say anything. But the secret burns inside me, demanding release. "So, I saw Julian again."
Jenna's smile vanishes. "What? When?"
"At the police station. They called us both in for follow-up questions." The words tumble out faster now. "We got coffee after."
"And how did that go?"
"It was nice… to talk about it. But then it got kind of weird…"
"How so?" Jenna asks, clearly curious.
"He asked me out," I explain. "It was a bit awkward. I felt bad for rejecting him."
