The fire crackled, sending sharp bursts of orange and red into the night. The flames were alive—dancing, snapping—while the silence between us grew thicker with each passing second. I didn’t know how long we had been sitting like this. Long enough for the weight of the conversation to settle between us. But no words had been spoken. None that meant anything.
Cassian sat across from me, his back against the rough stone, his eyes focused somewhere far beyond the fire. His jaw was tight, his expression closed off in a way that was almost painful to look at. And I didn’t know what to say. Hell, I didn’t even know what I was feeling right now.
I thought I knew him. I thought I had it all figured out. But now… everything had shifted. And I was still trying to catch up.
I studied him for a mom
