-Ezra:
I looked at him when he said it.
We're going back.
The words settled in the air between us, heavier than anything else we had said today. They meant more than just returning somewhere—they meant facing everything we had been avoiding. His parents. The truth. The consequences.
And for a second, I didn't say anything.
I just looked at him.
Then, quietly, I asked, "Me too?"
It came out softer than I expected. Almost careful.
Julien blinked at me like the answer was obvious, like the question itself didn't even make sense to him. Then his expression shifted—his lips curling slightly, his eyes warming in that way that still caught me off guard every time.
"Duh," he said, as I had just asked something ridiculous. "I'm not going anywhere without you."
He stepped closer as he spoke, his voice softening just a little, but not losing that certainty.
"Wherever I go, you go," he added. "And wherever you go, I go."
A pause.
"We're bonded for life, basically."
