“I used to think about that a lot,” Dominic said. “All the time, actually. Like I’d go over my life and try to find the moment I could’ve taken a different turn.”
“And now?”
Dominic looked at him.
“Now I don’t know,” he said honestly. “I think... maybe it had to happen this way. Maybe I had to lose things before I could stop being afraid of myself.”
Eli nodded slowly. “I just keep wondering how much time I’ll lose.”
The ache in that question hit Dominic like a bruise. He reached out and brushed his thumb along Eli’s cheekbone.
“You’re not losing anything,” he said. “You’re braver than I ever was. You already are.”
Eli’s throat bobbed. He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling like it might have answers.
“I used to practice fake conversations in my head,” he said after a moment. “With my dad. With friends. Imagining what I’d say if they found out. What they’d say back.”
Dominic waited, sensing more.
“But every version ended the same way. With them leaving. Or worse—looking at m
