Page 87 of The Space Between

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Don’t go near the river alone again.

Please.

-Gruene

Just four lines and his name, and yet, it feels like the most intimate thing I’ve ever held.

My eyes close as I press the note to my chest.

I don’t care that he left before sunrise.

I care that he didn’t run.

He could’ve. He’s done it before. But he didn’t.

Not this time… he left a note.

And he told me to be careful.

That meanssomething.

Even if I don’t know exactly what yet.

I stayin his shirt all morning, letting it fall over my thighs while I make coffee and ignore the world outside of my cabin.My legs still feel loose, like they’ve forgotten how to hold me up. My mouth tastes like him. My chest aches with all the things I didn’t say.

I should’ve said something.

Last night, when he looked at me like he was unraveling, like everything hurt—Ifeltit and I remained silent.

Not because I didn’t want him.

Not because I didn’t believe him.

But because I’ve forgotten how to let someone see me when I’m not holding myself together.

He opened a door and I just stood there in the hallway.

Shit!

Setting the coffee down, I drop into the chair at the table and try to remember how to breathe without guilt pressing into my spine.

He told me he didn’t want to lose someone again.

He let me see what it costs him to touch me.

And I… just let him carry it.

I need to see him.

Not to fix anything… Not to demand more… Just tobe there.

Because he’s still carrying the weight of two ghosts. And if I’m going to be a part of his life—even for a second?—

I need to show him I’m not another one waiting to disappear.

It’s evenhotter than it was yesterday.

The sun presses down hard, and the humidity clings to my skin before I even make it past the trees.

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