-Vaughn Blackmore:
The car had gone quiet in a way that felt almost unnatural after everything that had just happened between us.
Not awkward.
Not heavy.
Just… still.
Like the world outside had slowed down for a few minutes to let us catch up to ourselves again.
Ryland was still right there beside me, close enough that I could feel him even without looking. His presence wasn't overwhelming in the way it used to be when I first met him—it was familiar now, almost grounding. Like my body had started recognizing him as something safe without needing to think about it too much.
My hand was still in his.
Not held tightly anymore.
Just connected.
Fingers loosely intertwined in a way that felt more natural than deliberate, like neither of us had even considered letting go yet. My breathing was still uneven, but it was slowly starting to settle back into something normal again, like my body was remembering how to exist outside of that moment we had just shared.
