Dawn
Dinner was quiet in the best way.
Not awkward. Not heavy. Just soft.
Earl ate more than I'd seen him eat in weeks, his mom watching with careful relief while pretending not to. He was still tired, I could see it in the way his shoulders sagged but there was something steadier about him now, like my being there had anchored him to the room.
Afterward, he glanced at me, hesitant. "Do you… want to come to my room?"
I nodded immediately. "Yeah. If you're up for it."
His room looked exactly like it did on video calls, only real now. Smaller than I imagined. Familiar in a way that made my chest ache. Posters on the wall, a stack of books by the bed, the same hoodie draped over the chair.
He sat down slowly, like his body needed permission to rest.
I kicked off my shoes and joined him, leaving space at first letting him choose.
He didn't hesitate.
Earl leaned into me, forehead brushing my shoulder, and the tension I'd been holding since the flight finally loosened. I wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close, feeling his warmth, his weight, his very real presence against me.
"Is this okay?" I asked quietly.
He nodded, voice muffled against my chest. "Don't move."
So I didn't.
We lay back together, curled on his bed, his head tucked under my chin, my hand moving slowly up and down his back. His breathing was uneven at first, like his body was still braced for something to go wrong.
I kept my touch steady. Grounding.
"You don't have to talk," I murmured. "You don't have to do anything."
"I know," he said softly. "I just… needed this."
"I've got you," I replied, the same words I'd said in the living room only now they felt deeper. Truer.
Minutes passed. Maybe more. Time didn't matter.
I felt his shoulders relax little by little, the tightness easing as exhaustion finally caught up to him. He shifted slightly, fitting closer, like he was learning the shape of me.
"I kept thinking you were going to disappear," he admitted quietly. "Like this was all just… something I imagined."
I tilted my head down, pressing my cheek lightly to his hair. "I'm not going anywhere."
He pulled back just enough to look at me. His eyes were tired, still rimmed red, but calm now. Present.
"Thank you for coming," he said. "I don't think you know how much this means."
I smiled, brushing my thumb gently along his cheek. "I think I do."
We stayed like that for a moment, close enough to feel each other breathe. The air between us shifted soft, charged, careful.
Earl's gaze dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes, uncertainty flickering there.
I didn't rush him.
"If you're not ready... " I started.
He shook his head slightly. "I am. I just… wanted it to be real."
I leaned in slowly, giving him time to pull away if he wanted to.
He didn't.
Our first kiss as a couple was gentle barely there at first. Just warmth and reassurance and the quiet understanding of everything we'd been through to reach this moment.
When we pulled back, our foreheads touched, both of us breathing a little heavier now.
Earl smiled, real and unguarded.
And in that quiet room, with the world finally still around us, it felt like everything, every distance, every hard day had led us right here.