He
exhaled slowly. “I was wondering when you’d ask that.”
I sat up, wrapping the nearest clothing around my chest as I looked out into the clearing. The world looked brighter than yesterday. Like even the light didn’t know what we’d done in the dark.
“I mean it,” I said. “What does this mean? For us? For me?”
He propped himself up on one elbow, watching me carefully. “It means... I’m here.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have that doesn’t come with a dozen ifs and maybes.” He sat up fully, wrapping the sheets over his legs. “We’re in the middle of nowhere, on the run, hunted…”
“You don’t have to remind me.”
“I have to,” he said, gently. “Because you need to know that even with all that... I still choose this.”
“Luca…”
“I meant everything last night.” His voice lower
