Elena's POV
Callum leaned back, eyes still on me. The kind of gaze that didn't just look at you — it searched you.
"You were always the one I couldn't figure out," he said quietly.
I tilted my head. "Because I was a mess?"
"No," he said almost instantly. "Because you were the only person who ever made me forget how to pretend."
That stopped me.
For a moment, I didn't see the man in front of me. I saw the boy who used to pass me notes in class. Who stood outside my house with a flashlight because I was afraid of the dark during blackouts. Who never judged me when I broke down, even when the rest of the world turned their backs.
I reached for the bottle, then changed my mind and set it down.
"I'm tired of pretending too," I whispered.
His expression changed — softened, deepened. He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. "Then don't. Not with me."
