-Caspian Grayson:
Right in front of me, everything happened almost too fast for my mind to fully catch up with it in real time.
One second, Kyle was standing there—still, rigid, carrying that unbearable weight in his posture like he had forgotten how to let it go—and the next, his knees hit the floor.
A quiet sound.
Soft.
Almost nothing.
But it still cut straight through me anyway, like my body reacted before my thoughts even had the chance to form.
My breath caught instantly.
"Kyle—?"
It came out before I could stop it, before I even knew what I was reacting to properly.
I shifted forward slightly, instinct kicking in, ready to reach for him, to pull him back up, to do something—anything—but I didn't get the chance.
Because he moved first.
He leaned forward.
Slowly.
Like the strength in his body had simply decided it was done holding him up anymore.
And then—
He rested his head against my thighs.
Completely.
