Eluna’s P.O.V.
The short walk back to my apartment was mostly quiet, save for the easy rhythm of our boots on the packed dirt path. Jackson didn’t press me with questions. He just stayed close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from him, close enough that if I wanted, I could reach over and tangle my fingers with his.
But I didn’t.
Because if I started, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to stop.
I led him down a side street where the trees gave way to faded brick buildings and flowering window boxes, the heartbeat of Fairview in the late afternoon. We turned a corner, and there it was—T&T, my brother Koda’s pride and joy. A restaurant filled with the smells of wood-fired steaks and slow-cooked ribs, laughter spilling out onto the sidewalk. And right above it, my teeny tiny apartment
