“ But…your dad.”
“ We'll be back before he knows it.”
Dominic didn’t answer. Just opened the door and slid in.
They drove off without speaking, not toward Dominic’s new place, not toward a motel, just away. Somewhere neither of them could escape the weight of what they’d said and done.
Eventually, they stopped at a quiet overlook, the town’s lights twinkling below like distant stars.
Dominic killed the engine.
Eli turned to him. “Now what?”
Dominic didn’t answer. Instead, he leaned in and kissed him.
It wasn’t soft or tentative.
It was everything they’d said and everything they hadn’t. It was want and confession and war wrapped in a single desperate touch.
Later, Eli lay curled against Dominic in the cab of the truck, the night wrapping them in shadows.
Dominic’s voice was low, rough with something Eli couldn’t name. “You still think this can end well?”
Eli closed his eyes, feeling the steady beat of Dominic’s heart under his cheek. “No.”
“But you’re not going to stop.”
“No.”
