The gates loomed behind me, their iron bars glinting faintly beneath the streetlamps, but I barely noticed them. My focus was fixed forward, where Taylor stood.
His figure was sharp and unyielding, almost statue-like in the pale glow of the lights. His arms were at his sides, tense, and his jaw was set. What unsettled me wasn’t his posture, it was his eyes. Those eyes, usually quick to reveal his humor or annoyance or even faint warmth, were blank tonight. Empty in a way that made the back of my neck prickle.
I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry.
“Taylor…” My voice came out hushed, hesitant, as though speaking his name might shatter the air between us.
He didn’t move at first. Just kept looking at me, cold and steady. And then, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.
“You shouldn’t
