-Cole-
I followed her outside, having noticed her distress. Although her mother and she had tried to keep their voices low, I had caught snippets of their conversation and understood why she had stepped out. She was right. I would be leaving soon, but also knew I couldn’t let her go. I refused to. I would only walk away if she told me to, and even then, I’d do so reluctantly.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she whispered.
“What?” I asked, gently resting my chin on the top of her head while holding her close.
“This...” she whispered. “You’re leaving...”
“Not yet.”
“But soon...”
I sighed and nodded against her before gently turning her around. She refused to meet my gaze, so I placed my hands on her neck and tilted her head upward, urging her to look at me.
“Raven...”
Her eyes continu
