He doesn’t interrupt; he just lets me speak. I take another sip of coffee, which now tastes stronger. “I spent years thinking pain was the only thing that made me real. Then I realized numb isn’t living either.”
His voice softens. “So what is?”
I meet his eyes. “Maybe this. Sitting here. Talking. Breathing. Watching your cat steal your breakfast.”
He laughs again, shaking his head. “She’s an opportunist.” Tiny looks at Peanut, who is thoroughly enjoying her toast at theedge of the bed. She gazes up at him, twitches her whiskers, then keeps eating.
“Wonder where she gets it from.”
He smirks, but there’s something softer beneath it. Pride, maybe, or guilt hidden behind humor. “If you’re looking for a sponsor, I can make sure Pearl stays a hundred feet away from you.”
“Pearl’s not the problem.”
“She’s part of it.”
“She’s just…” I take a deep breath. “What happens when people stop fighting their own ghosts?”
He studies me, the muscle in his jaw twitching. “And you?”
“I’m still fighting,” I admit softly.
He nods once. “Good. Don’t stop.”
The silence that follows isn’t heavy this time, it’s peaceful. He reaches for his mug and brushes my fingers by accident. Neither of us moves. The touch lingers, light but electric.
“You look better,” he says quietly.
“Better than dying?”
He gives a half-smile. “Yeah. That.”
“I feel better,” I admit. “Not fixed. Just… breathing.”
“That’s enough for today.”
“Yeah.”
We sit quietly again, a peace that feels earned. Outside, I hear the brothers moving around. Trigger shouting for Red to fix the comms, Dagger laughing with Bones over something silly, Blayze talking to Monica on speakerphone. The sounds of life fill the compound once more. It’s not chaos. It’s comfort.
Tiny watches the window, his hand resting on his thigh, fingers twitching like he’s still wound too tight to relax. I reach out and place my hand over his.
“Thank you for staying,” I whisper.
He looks at me like he’s trying not to say something he shouldn’t. “Wasn’t going anywhere.”
“You keep saying that.” I tease softly.
“Because it’s true.” The words sit between us, thick and warm, heavy with everything we haven’t said.
“Tiny?”
“Yeah?”
I swallow hard. “Do you ever… forget? Even for a second?”
His jaw tightens. “No. Not the things that matter.”
“Like what?”