Maya dimmed the light before finally climbing into the bed, keeping a careful, deliberate distance between us. The mattress dipped under her weight, and for a moment, the only sound was the synchronized rhythm of our breathing.
"Cole?" she whispered. Her voice didn't have the sharp edges it usually did. It sounded tired, stripped of the defensive armor she wore like a second skin during the day.
"Yeah?"
"Give me one honest reason why you're doing this," she said, turning her head slightly so she could see the silhouette of my face against the pillow. "Why are you pressing so hard? Why can't you just let me go back to being the girl at the café who didn't exist in your world?"
I stared at the ceiling, feeling a strange, hollow ache in my chest. "I don't know, Maya. Honestly. I tried
