Nina’s POV
I didn’t tell Julian everything the moment we left the bookstore, even though I could feel the questions sitting at the edge of my chest like they were waiting for permission to spill out, because saying things out loud makes them real in a way silence still protects you from, and I wasn’t sure I was ready to make what happened today real yet.
Julian noticed though.
He always notices things I try to hide and Ethan hated it from way back thinking he had a crush on me, But Julian was the brother and family I never had .
We were already in the car when he finally broke the silence, one hand on the steering wheel while the other rested loosely, calm in a way that always made him seem like he had more control over the world than he admitted.
“You’ve been quiet since we left your
